Sweet Temptations
by Krystal V
Summary: When a renowned psychologist decides to help on the Kira case, L finds himself questioning her past... and remembering his own. After all, he was just a boy before he was a detective. LxOC. R&R.
1. Of Memories and Chocolate

My first Death Note fic! Do be kind and go easy on me. Oh, and there might be Spoilers for like.. THE WHOLE STORY : ) First thing I want to talk about is L's past. I know nobody really knows about him except that he's probably from the orphanage and he's lived in England for about five years and won the junior badminton championship. So let's say he was probably from somewhere else before he moved to England and if he won the badminton championship, he had to still be schooling. And err… let's say he schooled there till Year 11 and went off somewhere else to study before becoming the world's best detective. (Edited and Added) And since he's still schooling, he still uses his original name which everybody knows... right? O.O Right... XD So somehow when he became the master detective, he erased his whole past history. Mwahahaha. Probably made Watari do it too. Poor Watari. LOL. Coz you know, there are bound to be records of him somewhere and some people know what he looks like so he has to never show his face. But his alias L can mean anything so he just, you know, useshisownname. So that's how Hannah knows his real name in this story until in the next chapter where she... hehe. Review to find out! Phew, hope that's cleared up.

And uh, sorry for Typos! I know they're in there somewhere! Grr...

Disclaimer: Everything is entirely fictitious and I don't own DN. They belong to their creative, amazing, wonderful author and artist.

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Chapter 1: Of Memories and Chocolate

_Such bliss… Such pure sweet bliss. She was swimming in a sea of chocolate; the waves were gently rolling over her. The skies were made of syrup and the clouds were made from cotton candy. The sweet smell of chocolate filled her up and she loved it. She spotted a chocolate cake nearby and her mouth watered._

"_Hannah!" the chocolate cake called her. "Hannah, what are you doing?"_

_Wasn't it obvious, Hannah frowned. She was swimming in a sea of chocolate._

"_Wake up, Hannah! Wake up!" the chocolate cake called._

_But she wasn't asleep... she wasn't,,,_

"Hannah!"

The girl around the age of fifteen was startled out of her daze by the shrill voice of Mrs. Porter, the English teacher. Hannah swept back her long raven hair from her green eyes and stared back at her teacher, blushing profusely. What a silly dream she had.

"Is something wrong with you, Hannah?" Mrs. Porter asked in concern. "It's very unlike you to daydream in class."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Porter," Hannah bowed her head in shame.

"Well, don't do it again," the teacher said before turning back to the board.

"Yes," Hannah murmured more to herself and looked up.

A pair of dark rimmed eyes caught her attention and she stared back into the black pools of a messy haired boy. He was looking back at her with curiosity, unabashed at holding gazes with the girl. Hannah felt her heart skip a beat and she looked back down to her textbook.

"Mr. Lawliet, turn your head back to the blackboard, please!" Mrs. Porter called.

L turned around and fixed his attention on the teacher once again. Hannah bit her lip and looked up, staring at the back of his head. At the end of the day, when classes finally ended and the last bell had rung, Hannah took her time packing her things. She felt so out of it today that she wondered what was wrong with herself. She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the now empty classroom, only to find a certain someone waiting for her.

"Hey," L greeted her.

She blinked and looked at him while giving a small smile.

"Hi," she greeted back, where an awkward silence followed.

"Um… want to walk back with me?" he asked.

"Sure…" she said and followed him out to the schoolyard.

The walk back to the orphanage was not that long, ten minutes at the most. But this time, it felt so much longer than that to the two. The beginning of their journey was mostly awkward silence.

"So… uh," L scratched his head. "It was pretty weird of you to be snoozing away in class earlier."

"Yeah, it was…" she agreed.

"Anything wrong?" he asked curiously.

"I… don't think so," she replied.

"I noticed this couple of years since I moved here that you always act weirdly on this one particular day," he said.

One particular day…? Then it struck her. Of course… her stomach lurched uncomfortably and she gulped nervously.

It was her birthday.

"Why's that?" L persisted on asking.

He was just that curious, wasn't he? Hannah frowned slightly and bit her lip. She had never told anyone about her birthday before. Well, nobody ever asked actually… She was a bit of a loner in school and in the orphanage as well. She never spoke unless spoken to. And she was sometimes referred to as a bit of a nerd even though she was very active in tennis and badminton.

"Hannah?" L called.

"Say, L… may I ask you something?" she asked.

"Provided you answer my question first," he said stubbornly.

She gave a small sigh before answering, "It's my birthday."

He stopped walking abruptly and stared at her. Hannah stopped as well and turned around to look at him. The look of shock and fascination on his face was hilarious that she couldn't help giggling at him. And she never giggled before.

"Don't stop walking," she told him and turned back around to continue down the sidewalk.

He managed to catch up to her in the next second. He still had that ridiculous expression on his face.

"Why don't you tell anyone?" he asked.

"'Cause I don't wanna," she said. "Anyway… it's not like anyone's gonna celebrate it for me."

He didn't know what made him do it, perhaps it was that utterly heart breaking look on her face that did. She looked so sad, so fragile at that moment, he thought she might break when he took her wrist in his hand and pulled her to a stop.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm gonna celebrate your birthday with you," he declared.

"What?!" she cried loudly. "You must be joking. Now?"

"Yep," he said, half pulling and half dragging her across the street.

"And where are we going?" she demanded.

"To a really nice place I found the other day," he told her enthusiastically.

"Oh, L, stop it!" she cried exasperatedly.

But he didn't stop. He continued pulling her across town until they reached a small quaint café situated in a back street between two more popular cafes.

"Everybody just ignore this place because of the other two beside it," he told her. "But in all honesty, this place is far more superior than the other two."

"Oh?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.

They entered the small shop and sat in a corner booth. A waitress walked over and handed them two menus but L stopped her and ordered two slices of chocolate fudge cake and a candle. The waitress blinked at him in a moment's confusion before heading back to the counter to get his order.

"The cake here is simply superb," he said.

"I honestly don't know why you're doing this," she told him.

"I don't know either," he smiled.

A moment later, the waitress came back with two plates of chocolate fudge cake and a candle. L took the candle and stuck it in the middle of one of the cakes and pushed the plate towards Hannah. He then dug around his bag for a lighter and lit the candle.

"Why do you have a lighter with you?" she asked, frowning.

"You might never know when you need it for occasions like this," he shrugged. "Now… make a wish."

"I don't have a wish," she told him.

"Then make one up," he said.

"How can you make a wish up?" she asked him in confusion.

"Then just blow the candle," he said exasperatedly.

And she did. She leaned over the table and blew the candle out. A wave of emotions flooded her as she watched the tiny wisps of smoke hovering above the candle. It was the first time ever that she had blown out a birthday candle before. She looked up at L who was smiling at her. She blinked and looked back at the cake.

"That's all, right?' she asked uncertainly.

"Yep," he said and picked up a fork to start eating his own cake. "Go on, try it."

She plucked the candle out of the creamy treat and picked up her fork to eat it. It indeed was good, so sweet and chocolaty, was that a word? She smiled in content as she ate.

"It is good," she told him.

He nodded in agreement and continued eating. After their piece of cake, they hung around for a cup of coffee before walking back to the orphanage. On the way there, Hannah suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, I'm entitled to ask you something after answering your previous question," she told him.

"Yes, I remember you asking me," he said. "What is it?"

"Why are you named L?" she asked.

He looked ahead without answering her. Hannah waited for a bit before she opened her mouth to ask him again when he cut her off.

"I don't know," he said.

"You don't know?" she blinked.

"I thought it was rather clever," he shrugged.

"Where were you from before you got transferred here?" she asked. "What happened to your parents?"

"I was from Ireland," he said. "My parents died in a car accident. It was just a couple of years ago when Mr. Whammy heard about it and decided to take me in since he felt indebted to my family."

"Indebted?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't know the details," he said.

"Oh…" she looked down to the ground. "My father died before I was born and my mother left me in the orphanage when I was one month old. I don't know what they look like."

L glanced at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she retorted.

They reached the orphanage then and went inside. Something white and furry suddenly got thrown down at L and landed on his head with a squeak. He plucked it off with his thumb and index finger and let it dangle in the air like that.

"…Wendy," he called.

Hannah looked up curiously to the stairs and saw a girl with pale skin and pale blonde hair with grey eyes, wearing a pale pink nightdress. She peered out through the banister at the both of them with a mischievous smile.

"Why did you throw this bear at me?" L asked her.

"You said you were coming home early to play with me!" Wendy pouted at him.

"Yes, I remember that," L said. "I'm sorry, Wendy, but you see… it's Hannah's birthday today. Why don't you come down to greet her?"

Hannah glanced at L and tried her best not to blush as Wendy hopped down the stairs to them. She stopped in front of Hannah and took her hands.

"Happy birthday, Hannah!" Wendy greeted enthusiastically.

Hannah's eyes widened numerously. She felt so happy; her heart could have exploded any second. She felt so touched at this simple act. She smiled in gratitude at the young girl.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Your welcome!" the girl beamed. "Hey, L, can Hannah play with us too?"

"Well… if she wants to," L glanced at her.

"I would love to," Hannah smiled at him.

"Yay! Let's go then!" Wendy said, taking both their hands and tugging them to follow her.

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"I didn't know you were so good with children," Hannah said as they arranged the playroom while Wendy slept on the couch nearby.

"Wendy, she…" L began. "Has a terminal illness and… the other children don't really like her so she plays by herself most of the time."

"Terminal illness?" Hannah asked.

"She has leukaemia," L told her.

Hannah clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Isn't she going to the hospital?" Hannah asked. "Isn't she being treated?"

"They give her medicine here but she refuses to go to the hospital," L sighed.

"Poor Wendy…" Hannah said, looking at the sleeping child.

"I know…" L said.

"That's why you're so nice to her?" Hannah asked.

"That's one of the reasons," he said, standing on his toes to replace a box of puzzles on the top most shelf.

Hannah was momentarily distracted by how tall he was. Since he was always walking and sitting with his back hunched over, she never knew his exact height.

"The other reason is because she reminds me of me," he turned around and gave her a small smile.

"She does?" Hannah asked, fascinated. "How so?"

"I don't know…" L shrugged. "Maybe because people tend to stay away from her…"

"Oh, L…" Hannah frowned.

"Well, anyway…" he said to cut her off then walking over to Wendy to carry her in his arms. "We better send her to her room."

Hannah nodded and followed him to Wendy's room. She helped open the door for him before stepping in herself. She was rather amazed at the décor of the room. It was mostly pink, with frills strung around the walls and stuffed animals lined the entire room. A little girl's paradise…

"She loved collecting these things," L said, laying the girl on the bed before tossing a stuffed elephant onto a pile of toys in the corner. "She said she wanted to have the most toys stuffed in one room in the entire world.

Hannah chuckled. "Pretty ambitious, huh?"

"Yep," L said, stepping out and closing the door behind them.

"Well, it's late… We should head to bed too," Hannah said.

"I agree," L nodded. "Good night, Hannah. Sweet dreams."

Hannah smiled brightly. "You too, L. And… thank you for today."

"It was my pleasure," L said.

"Good night," Hannah said, walking towards her room at the end of the corridor.

"Night."

L watched her disappear into her room and continued standing there until he heard the faint click of the lock. He sighed and looked down to the floor, ruffling his hair a bit before heading into his own room, which was just opposite hers.

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_Seven years later…_

"Kira… such an interesting character…"

A young woman at the age of twenty-four stood up from her seat and walked towards the large pane of glass window overlooking London. Her soft brown hair was tied up in a loose messy bun on the back of her head with some tendrils falling into her green eyes and framing her pale face. Pink nail polished fingers pushed a pair of spectacles higher up the bridge of her sharp nose as she bit her stained wine lips.

"I've estimated his age to be around seventeen or eighteen," she said to herself. "An intellectual, smart… unafraid to take action. A severely growing God complex… and a possible sociopath. Method of killing… supernatural. There is no logical way to make a person get a heart attack."

She turned around with a swish of her white coat and returned to her seat, swivelling around for a few seconds. She faced her laptop once again and began typing a series of theories onto it.

"Goodness, what are you doing in the dark like this?" a voice exclaimed from the doorway.

The lights were turned on and the woman snapped her head up to take a look at the intruder, blinking from the sudden bright lights.

"Ben?" she raised an eyebrow. "Is there reason for disrupting me?"

"You've got it," he said.

"Got… what?" she asked, her heart racing excitedly. Already, she felt the onset of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Please let it be what she had been hoping for…

"You've got an audience with him," Ben announced. "With the world's greatest detective… L."

She stood up, smiling brightly.

"Yes," she said triumphantly. "When can I see him?"

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Wow, I think this is the longest first chapter I've ever wrote. XD Reviews please! If not, I'll steal L's sugar cubes and force him eat _veggies_. Dun Dun Dun…

L: T.T Nuuuuu…!

You can't ignore that poor, sad, puppy dog eyed face now can you? (cackles evilly)

Light: I can. (grins evilly as he holds the sugar cube bowl away from L)

L: D : I knew it, you're Kira! You're conspiring with this evil woman to kill me! I'm hypoglycaemic! I demand my sugar!

Light: Right, as if I'm gonna fall for that again!

L: ..Sugar.. X.X

DA: Er… Light, maybe you should give him _one_ little sugar cube… he looks like he's really dying..

Light: Muwahahahahahaha!

DA: O.O Light!

L: (gets up and points at him accusingly) I knew it, he is Kira!

Light: See! You were lying! You're not hypoglycaemic!

L: X

TBC. XD


	2. Past Meets Present

One thing I must clarify once and for all... We all know that L's past is a total mystery so many writers tend to make it up. But one thing's for certain! L's real name is L! Ironic, I know! But it was written in How To Read Death Note Volume 13. And it was on his card. In big giant letters 'L Lawliet' so he _has_ an English name. And Eru Roraito is just... the Japanese version. Besides it's written in Katakana, so there. And I don't think this is a spoiler because Volume 13 only came out in Japan and the only place you can get it is through scanlations on the internet. -.-" Or wiki.

And I just realized I mixed up badminton and tennis again. Thank you for pointing it out, l2uly. So pleeeasee don't say that it irks you that Hannah called him L coz it's his real name! Some of you are probably thinking it doesn't make sense that he's called L in school. But unfortunately so, his name _is_ L. What you want me to do? Make up another name for him? I think he has enough of those. :X I hope that's all cleared up. Sorry for the inconvenience. But it's just bugging me that people keep reviewing me that. Coz before I post ficcies up, I do tons of research and get all my facts right and make sure the story makes some kind of sense and is somehow believable. XD But still thank you all for the lovely reviews! I TRES LOVE YOU ALL. (hands back L's sugar cubes… for now)

On a different note, does anyone realise that in the first beginning chapters where we see L but not his face, he has his whole computer, even the CPU, on the floor. And there doesn't seem to be any furniture around? _He can't possibly be in a hotel. _What hotel doesn't give you tables? And the rooms he usually uses are filled with them. And they often look like luxurious suites. O.o" Then where on earth could he be staying at during those few chapters?? XD Or was the artist just lazy to draw all those in? Anyway, let's ignore this. XD

Now on with the second chapter!

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Chapter 2: Past Meets Present

The rain poured down lightly on the misty streets of the Kanto Area in Japan. Outside, by the side of the road, a car pulled up in the early hours in front of a hotel and a young woman stepped out. Meanwhile, on the upper floors of the hotel, a man sat in a hunched posture on a sofa of a dark room. His messy black hair covered his eyes as he chewed his thumb in thought. The only light in the dark room was the one coming from the computer screen that could be seen transferring data from another computer. On the table, surrounding the computer, laid a pile of disorganized files amongst heaps of confectionaries. Only one was open, the file of a woman, oddly familiar. Her photo smiled up into the semi-darkness of the room.

L glanced at it, a million questions running through his mind, most of them unanswered. He had really taken a gamble by allowing this woman to meet him. Was he correct to assume that she was the girl from his past? If so, was he foolish to believe that she would actually keep his secret till her death? And why was her name different, he did not understand, though he was sure it was her. Even if she did look a lot more different than she did back then, her eyes had not changed the least. Two green orbs of nothingness… He wondered vaguely if she would recognize him. It had been so long since he last saw anyone from his past life in London. That life, only but a few years ago, seemed like an entire different lifetime to him. In fact, he had spent quite a few hours on making sure his past life remain buried to the world. And now he was digging them up again.

The click of the door opening startled him out of his thoughts and he braced himself mentally. Now the vague thought about her recognizing him returned, only this time, it was sharper than before. What _if_ she recognized him? After all, he did recognize her.

"Ryuuzaki?" Watari's voice called from the doorway.

"I'm in here, Watari," L replied.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden flood of light as they were switched on. Watari walked towards him, holding a travelling bag in his hand. He gave a small bow to L and stood aside to reveal a rather pretty young woman. Her brown hair was held up in an elegant French twist and she wore a white trench coat and black pants. She looked like a very trendy lady. But what caught his attention most were her eyes, those green eyes. Just like in the photo.

"I present Ms. Lucretia Laurent," Watari introduced.

"I have been expecting you Ms. Laurent," L nodded.

"It's an honour to meet you, sir," the woman bowed her head.

"No, the honour is mine," he said simply. "Please, take a seat, Ms. Laurent."

"Thank you," she nodded, taking a seat opposite him.

"I shall bring your things to your room next door, Ms. Laurent," Watari said, bowing before exiting the room.

L waited for the click of the door closing before turning back to the woman. She looked at him curiously but without the least bit hint of familiarity. A part of him felt relieved but the other was worried. Why didn't she recognize him?

"You should realize, Ms. Laurent, that the reason I am allowing you to meet me is because I trust you," he began. " And I was quite impressed by your work. Indeed, your theory that Kira might be a student was proved correct."

"I'm quite pleased to hear that, L," she smiled. "And I thank you for placing your trust in me. You can be assured that it will not go misplaced."

He paused for a second in thought.

"I request that you call me Ryuuzaki from now on," he said.

"I understand," she nodded, glancing around.

She had heard that they would be moving around hotels a lot to avoid detection. Even though the hotel room might have been swept for bugs, the possibility of eavesdropping might not be a total zero percent. Her eyes swept over to the disorderly table then to the computer sitting in the centre of the mess.

"I requested your assistance on the case because I think your theories may prove useful," he explained. "If what you assume can be considered correct, then the scope of the investigation might be reduced and finding a suspect will be much easier."

She nodded, turning her attention back to him. He realized with sudden clarity that she was subtly analyzing him. The door opened again and Watari walked in, taking his seat in front of the laptop.

"The transfer has been completed," he announced.

"Yes," L nodded before turning back to Lucretia. "You must be tired from all the travelling, I suggest you head to your room to rest."

"You're right, I am a bit tired," Lucretia said simply before standing awkwardly. "I'll see you later then. If you'll excuse me…"

She gave a little bow of her head before walking out of the room. He watched her walked out the door and began questioning himself once again. Why didn't she recognize him? He picked up her file from the table and flipped through it again.

"Watari?" he called.

"Yes?" the old man replied.

"Why is there so little information on Lucretia Laurent's past?" he asked.

There was a prolonged moment of silence before Watari replied with a surprising answer.

"It appears she has suffered from amnesia."

Now, why had he overlooked that little fact? He should have asked Watari to give him her medical reports as well instead of assuming her to be a completely healthy individual. Well, she was but not many healthy people had amnesia.

"Since when and how?" L wanted to know.

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_It was almost the same as all her other dreams. A chocolate cake sat on the table, a single candle stood, burning in its centre. She would be standing in front of it, gazing down in wonder. Then a shadow would move in the corner and she tore her gaze away from the cake to look at it. A boy would stand there, only the bottom half of his face visible in the dim lighting. He would smile and start to say something…_

Green eyes opened to the blank white ceiling above. Lucretia rolled over in her bed and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It read 2:35 PM. She let out a groan. She had been sleeping far too long. She got up and went into the bathroom for a shower, emerging a few moments later, wearing a bathrobe and towelling her damp hair. She sat in front of the vanity table and began blow-drying her hair as her mind wandered to unimportant matters, such as her dreams. That dream again, she thought back. She had always been having the same dream ever since five years ago… ever since her amnesia. Could it be that her dreams were some lost memory of hers during her childhood? She could not remember the unfortunate accident that had caused her to lose her past memories. However, when she tried to recall some back, perhaps her real name, she had visions of an obscure orphanage. Sometimes, a little girl would appear in her mind's eyes, followed by a boy, hauntingly similar to the one in her dreams. Could there be a link to the boy and her past? If she, by some twist of fate, were able to find this boy, could she regain her memories?

Lucretia chuckled at her foolish thoughts. Since when were things that simple? And she was a psychologist, for Christ's sake. She helped patients with the same problem as her. Maybe that was why she could often sympathize so readily with their plight. She was the same as well… Lucretia got up and walked towards her bag to get some clothes to change. She began thinking about the Kira case and L. He had been a bit different than what she perceived him to be. For one thing, he was sloppy. She had noticed the collection of sweets on his table. Did he suffer from a severe eating disorder? And his eyes… does he ever sleep? So she had a genius detective that suffers from eating disorders and insomnia? What else can she expect? She tied her hair into a messy bun, letting a few tendrils to frame her face before stepping out of her room. She knocked on the door on the right that she knew was L's room and Watari opened the door for her. The first thing she saw when she entered the room was L, sitting on the sofa and rocking back on forth while eating a tub of ice cream. Surely, that cannot be healthy behaviour. She suppressed a frown and walked in, taking a seat on the sofa next to him.

"I see you're awake," he said and she nodded. "There have been several new killings in the past few hours you have been asleep."

She nodded again. She felt slightly mortified for thinking such thoughts about him. He was after all, a genius and had solved the most arduous cases of this century. So he had certain… eccentricities, that didn't make him any less of a genius that he already is. She sniffed and looked at him. But the way he was sitting was just so _odd_. It doesn't even look comfortable.

"Are you fluent in Japanese, Ms. Laurent?" L asked.

"It's not one my bests but I can manage," she answered automatically. "Why?"

"There are some cases that have not been released to the media in the file in front of you on the table," he said and she glanced at it before reaching out to take the file. "Once you are done looking through it, I would like to know your views on the matter. They are rather… intriguing."

Intriguing was only one of the things that came to her mind. The pictures were quite appalling, as she did not respond kindly to dead bodies and blood. But the suicide notes, now that was perhaps intriguing. If not puzzling. They made absolutely no sense to her. She then set them on the table to look at them from a distance. Now why would Kira's victims send suicide notes? She had never heard of that before. She sent there for a long while, trying to think of a reason. _Unless_… she blinked and took the pictures again, examining them closely. She had an almost difficult time deciphering the text but she was sure she was able to read it. All this while, L watched her from the corner of his eyes, thinking of how perceptive she was if she was able to figure out the message.

"There's a hidden message in these notes!" she exclaimed after a long while. "I'm almost certain it's referring to you."

She looked up at him with a small frown. L set the empty tub of ice cream on the table and picked a lollipop with his index finger and thumb before beginning to lick it.

"It is," he said simply. "And I have some bad news."

"What is it?" she asked in mild surprise.

"Apparently, Kira is able to manipulate the time of death of his victims," L told her. "Forty six people have been killed on the hour every hour since we claimed that Kira is a student."

Lucretia stared at him wide, horrified eyes. Her mouth was slacked and hung open in shock. She managed to regain her senses and shook her head.

"But it still stands that Kira might be a student!" she exclaimed.

"…That's what I'm wondering," L said. "Is Kira doing this to mock me, telling me that he is able to control the time of death of his victims or was he disguising himself as a student?"

"That can't be," Lucretia waved her hand. "They would rather choose irregular times to throw us off than actually plan a student's timetable."

"But the mater of him disguising himself is not entirely zero percent," L pointed out. "At this point, we can only assume."

"…How does Kira know we found out that he was a student?" Lucretia asked slowly after a while. "The information was not given out of the ICPO, correct?"

"Yes," he nodded. "There has to be a leak somewhere."

"It should require some investigation," Lucretia frowned. "Maybe we can find a lead."

"I was just thinking the same," L said and hopped out of his seat, discarding the lollipop in the empty ice cream tub.

"Where are you going?" Lucretia asked, staring at him.

He rubbed his foot on his leg and scratched his head before answering her.

"Calling the Chief of the FBI to look into the matter," he said.

She stared at him again. _Even the FBI was ready at his disposal?_ Exactly how many connections did this man have? She watched L walk towards the computer that she belatedly noticed had been moved from the table to the floor. Most probably to give more space for all the candy on the table... He crouched down and connected the computer to the FBI office. A ring tone could be heard before the phone was picked up and a gruff voice answered.

"Yes?"

"This is L."

After a couple of minutes, L disconnected the line and placed his microphone back down onto the floor and sat in front of it, pressing his thumb to his bottom lip in thought. Lucretia leaned forwards in her seat to take a better look at him.

"…That was fast?" Lucretia inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we can leave the investigation to the FBI and wait for the results," he said.

Lucretia nodded and helped herself to some cake that was on the table.

"Do you think somebody in the investigation team has connections with Kira?" L asked.

"It is a possibility," Lucretia said through a mouthful of cake.

L brought his thumb away from his lip and turned to look at her.

"Ms. Laurent, may I ask you a question?" L asked.

"It's Lucretia," she said, smiling. "What is it?"

He hesitated before asking. "Do you remember anything at all… about your past?"

She looked ahead of her, unconsciously placing the half-eaten cake on the table.

"No… not at all," she shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"I was merely curious," he told her.

"I know," she laughed quietly. "You couldn't find much about me in my files, didn't you? So you were worried?"

"You can say that," he said slowly.

"It happened in an accident," she told him. "A car accident. They said I flew into a brick wall and knocked my head. I was rushed to the hospital, went into a comma for about a week. When I woke up, I didn't know a thing, not even my name. The doctors couldn't do anything about me. One of them took pity on me and adopted me."

She looked at him with a small smirk.

"A little far-fetched, don't you think?" she asked.

"Not at all," L shook his head.

"He and his wife never had any children," she said. "They named me 'Lucretia' because it meant bringer of light. She was so happy when I was brought back home… my mother. That was what I came to call her. I do have this feeling that I never had one. Actually…"

L cocked his head to the side a little and looked up at her expectantly.

"When I think about it…" she told him. "I remember an orphanage…"

He turned his head away from her to hide the smug smile that crept onto his lips. He knew it, he was right. It _was_ her…

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Tis all. I know it was kind of rush. Sorry. u.u Reviews please:-)


	3. The Cross

A/N: Just to make sure, I'm not strictly following the book or the movie so I'm sort of just mixing everything up. Just so it's not so… expected. Get what I mean? Okay, never mind. Yeah, I've been taking ages to update, I know, I know. I'm getting lazy... But I'll make it up, really… when I… find my Inspiration Faerie… Yeah… she's got to be somewhere…

Chapter 3: The Cross

The rain fell from the clouds in a torrent of tears. The empty street held nothing but a heavy darkness…

A cross…

And blood spattered on the ground.

A hand was automatically raised to wipe the single tear that had escaped from her eyes. Lucretia sat up in her bed and ruffled her hair.

"I had a dream," she said to herself. "I had a bad dream… there was blood… everywhere…"

-----------------------------------------

A man leaned on a telephone booth in bustling Tokyo. His hat and high collar covered most of his face in shadow. He held a phone up to his ear and waited for the voice on the other end to answer as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"Hello?" a cold voice answered.

"She's in Japan," the man said.

"What is she doing there?"

"Most probably on that case, you know… that one," he tilted his head up and blew smoke into the air.

"With that detective?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yep."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Hn… now, if their whereabouts were that easy to find, they'd be dead by now, don't you think?" the man replied.

"I don't care even if they're on the moon, find her and keep an eye on her!" the voice hissed at the man before disconnecting.

"Yessir!" he gave a mock salute and pocketed his phone. "Bastard…"

The man took another drag out of his cigarette and threw it onto the ground before stamping it out. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and looked at it carefully.

"Hannah Wrighting…" he muttered. "I'd be damned if I knew where they are."

He cursed and strode off into the crowd.

-----------------------------------------

Lucretia took a sip of her tea as she mused about their latest findings. Kira could manipulate the time and method of death. There has been a leak in the ICPO. The FBI is currently investigating in Japan. And the world's famous detective is eating candy like nobody's business. Honestly, how could he be so carefree while dealing with a murderer that has supernatural forms of killing. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had a headache now. Why did she agree to do it in the first place? Oh, right, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she was feeling bored. Suddenly that didn't seem like a good enough reason to fly across the world.

"Is there something wrong, Lucretia?" L asked her, cocking his head to the side.

"No," she muttered, sighing.

"Chocolate?" he offered.

She smiled but it turned out to be more of a grimace, and took a piece before putting it into her mouth. Caramel… delicious. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the time. The ICPO would be coming into the office any time now. Watari had been out half an hour ago. She was getting jittery, as if something bad was going to happen. Some other psychologists, like Ben, thought that Kira and L were the same person. That they were split personalities… She smacked her forehead. Don't be stupid, Lucretia. Now, focus on the case and try to be of some help around here instead of gaining weight by eating all these confectionaries. That was what she would have liked to do. But somehow, her mind just could not focus on the case.

There was something about the man in front of her that seemed oddly familiar. The hunched posture, the messy black hair, the sleepless eyes and the sloppy manner. Where? Where had she seen it before? She searched in her mind but could not find one memory of him anywhere. It was frustrating her. She felt that she should know this, but she did not. She leaned forwards and took another piece of chocolate from its box and popped it into her mouth, relishing in its sweetness. An image came into her mind and she froze, eyes wide.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lucretia?" L asked. "You look pained."

She jumped in her seat and stared at him. The image slipped right out of her mind just as soon as it had come at the sound of his voice. She could have cursed at him, but she remained calm and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine," she said.

L nodded and went back to his food while Lucretia poured through files. She should have arrived earlier, she thought ever since L had filled her in on every little detail he did and found since he arrived in Japan. It was simply amazing. Lucretia stopped. She just thought of something that L had told her about this FBI agent who had been following one of the Chief of ICPO's family members. She looked for the Chief's file and found the pictures of the rest of his family there, along with their past achievements and whatnot. L really likes knowing every little tiny detail, doesn't he...

That's the one, she told herself, taking the picture of Yagami Raito from the file. The agent had been following the boy. The last day of his investigation, Raye Penber had told them that Raito could not be a suspect. On that day, Raito had taken a girl out with him to Space Land and their bus was hijacked. That criminal had been involved in several previous crimes… and he had died that day. Raye also mentioned that Raito tried to attempt to stop the criminal when Raye stopped him. If Raito was Kira, then he would have killed the criminal right on the spot. But... Lucretia looked at his profile. Raito was a very clever boy, maybe... he knew that he was being followed? Lucretia frowned. There was something fishy about it, something she couldn't put her finger on. There was just something secretive about this Yagami Raito. She could see it in his eyes. There was something…

Beep Beep Beep

Lucretia's head snapped up to look at the monitor. L quickly got off the couch the picked up the line. She could feel a sense of dread take over her.

"L," the voice of the head of the FBI began. "I just got word of the deaths of our agents in Japan. I tried contacting all twelve of them but I could not reach any one of them."

Lucretia gasped softly. Dead? All of them? In one go? Impossible!

"I think Kira have killed them all."

"Chief, calm down and listen to me carefully," L said. "Did any of the agents know the others' faces?"

"Not until yesterday…"

"Yesterday?" L asked.

"Yes, I received the request 'I want to verify all the friendlies in Japan', so I sent the file," the chief replied.

"That's it!' L exclaimed. "Kira got in touch with that agent and somehow got the information from that file! Who did you send it to?"

"That was… all of my agents in Japan."

"All of them…"

Lucretia leaned front in her seat, eyebrows knitted in concentration as she clutched the armrest of the couch tightly.

"All of a sudden they asked "I want to know who the friendlies are in Japan", I believe it was me who decided that they'd all have the file," the chief told him. "I sent the file to the first four myself and told them, "pass it along to the others"."

"All of them had the file…" L repeated. "If Kira can manipulate their actions before death… it's possible that he saw one of their copies, made that one send it to the others, and killed them."

Lucretia inhaled sharply and continued watching L and the monitor in apprehension. The agents were killed. The agents were killed.

"L, I'm sorry but… I'm calling off our Japanese investigation," the chief said. "Americans have paid the highest price to Kira ever since you concluded that Kira's hiding place was in the Kanto Area. The victims have been concentrated in Japan."

L bit his thumb as he listened carefully.

"Those being killed in Japan were criminals, but we've lost innocent agents. This is a big loss, it was my decision to put them in Japan. Now, my country will ask me to take responsibility for it, my face is publicly known and I hold my life dear. The FBI is washing its hand of the matter."

The FBI won't help anymore. Lucetia bit her lips as her mind reeled with the new information and desperately trying to figure it all out.

"Hmm… and now their headquarters are already callim. I'm going to tell him that we acted on your behalf, L. Goodbye," the chief said and with a click, the line was disconnected.

"Oh, God," Lucretia breathed. "What are we going to do now…"

L didn't answer.

----------------------------------------

When Lucretia entered the room the next morning, Watari was not the one to answer the door. L looked up at her with those sleepless eyes as she walked in.

"I just received another message," he told her straightaway and handed her the print out.

It took a minute for Lucretia to figure it out and when she did, she looked up in confusion.

"Apples?" she exclaimed. "What the?"

"He's obviously mocking me," L told her. "L, do you know reapers only eat apples. There are no such things as reapers."

"Or is there?" Lucretia cut in. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Kira has been using supernatural methods to kill his victims, I'm almost certain of it. Reapers are supernatural beings, so…"

L shook his head. "We can't just confirm the existence of reapers and that Kira is using them, Lucretia."

"But the possibility still stands," Lucretia said firmly and walked to the table where she had set up her laptop the day before. "I'm going to try and do some research on them."

L sighed and shook his head again. She always was so stubborn… He frowned. He had been thinking so much about the Kira Case that he was neglecting his own little personal case. The case he had been working on for a few days now. The Hannah Case, he liked to call it. He had never dealt with amnesia before, it was interesting.

L walked over to the table and leaned forward to pick up the jelly donut on his plate. Lucretia looked up at him just in time to notice a necklace slide out from beneath his collar and dangled about his neck. The cross pendant was silver with a ruby diamond encrusted in the middle and small little intricate carvings designing its edges. The cross hung on a simple black string with two golden rings beside it. She cried out in surprise and jerked her body backwards in surprise. L froze and stared at her with wide eyes.

"That necklace…" she told him, still in shock. "I've seen it before."

L continued looking at her expectantly. He had always kept his necklace tucked into his shirt. He never liked people looking at it, not that he met people often anyway.

"I saw it in a dream…" she mumbled.

"Exactly the same one?" he asked.

She nodded. He felt adrenaline rush through him. At least he was close to solving one of the cases he was on.

----------------------------------

"Have you found her yet?" the familiar cold voice asked.

"The girl?" the man in the coat replied casually. He looked up at the tall building in front of him. Golden letter adorning its front doors read Brighton Hotel. "Oh, yeah…"

"Do they know you're there?"

"Not at all."

"Hn. Well, good, about time we found her," the voice said. "Keep an eye on her."

"Well, personally I don't think she'll be going anywhere either."

"Shut up, just make sure nothing happens."

"Like what?"

"Something."

With that the conversation came to a close and the man placed the phone back into the pocket of his thick coat. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair. Tucking the hat under his arm, he took out his pack of cigarettes and smoked one.

"I should get a new hobby," he muttered and leaned against a lamppost.

--------------------------------------------

A/N: Reviews much appreciated!


	4. The Memories

Chapter 4: Memory  


"Where… where did you get the necklace?" Lucretia asked after overcoming her slight shock.

L took a moment to reply her as he set himself down onto the sofa opposite her.

"It was a gift from a friend," he told her.

"A friend?" she asked, blinking.

"Yes, a friend," he nodded. "Despite my reputation of never allowing anyone to see me, I have had a past life that was completely different than the one I am leading now."

"Ah… was this a close friend? Do you still see her?" she asked smoothly.

"I haven't said anything, why do you think it was a girl?" L cocked an eyebrow.

"Only a girl could have picked out something like that," she motioned at the necklace that had now been tucked back under his shirt.

"And how are you so sure about that?" he asked.

Lucretia shrugged. "Which would you say, years of analyzing human behaviour or simply a woman's intuition?"

"I would say both could apply," he replied.

"So are you still in contact with her?" she asked again. "But I think it's most likely that you aren't, being a world famous detective and all…"

"You're right," he nodded. "I haven't seen her for many years."

"Ever since you became a detective?" she asked.

"Actually, one day she just disappeared," he said.

"So you went looking for her with your prodigious detective skills?" Lucretia teased.

"I did for a while but there was simply no trace of her, she just vanished," he said, taking a sip of tea. "At one point, I thought she was dead. Probably involved in a hit and run or some serial case."

"So you never found her?"

"I have," he looked at her, debating with himself whether he should go on or not. Lucretia was a calm girl and he had a feeling that she had wanted nothing more than to find out about her past life as well. He breathed in deeply, smelling the sweet scent of camomile from his tea and decided to go on.

"You have?" she looked surprised and excited. "Where is she?"

"…She's sitting right in front of me," he said slowly.

There was a moment of silence.

"Pardon?" Lucretia stared at him, her heart pumping too much blood into her veins in one second.

"You, Lucretia, look exactly like that old friend of mine," he told her, ultimately dropping the bomb on her. "And it fits, doesn't? When did you lose your memories?"

"Around seven years ago," she told him.

He reached over to the table and pulled out two thin black files from the bottom of his many documents. He ignored as the top half of the pile fell over the edge of the table and onto the floor. He opened both files and placed them in front of her. Lucretia leaned over to take a look and was taken aback. There were two pictures, exactly alike but they had different names written under them.

"This is…" she whispered, gulping slightly.

"A file of Hannah Wrighting and you, Lucretia Laurent," he said. "Hannah was presumed missing seven years ago at the age of seventeen. While you were found with a head trauma at the age of seventeen as well. Most evidences prove that they are… the same person."

"But this…" Lucretia gaped. "This can't… it's... impossible…"

She was speechless. _Could this be, could it really be true?_ Could L be the boy in her dreams? Could he be the answer to her haunting memories, fleeting in and out of her grasp all the time? She couldn't help but think how coincidental it was, her being a psychologist and flying to Japan to meet him. Was Fate toying with her?

"You were from London?" she asked.

"I've studied there for two years," he told her.

"You were in an orphanage?" she asked.

"It's called the Whammy House," he told her.

_Whammy_… It sounded so familiar. _The Whammy House where gifted orphaned children were housed_? She drew in a sharp breath.

"There was a girl," she was speaking rapidly now, excited at the prospect, at the thought of it. "She was very young and very ill…"

"She died a year later," he said. "Her name was Wendy."

_Wendy_. Her head was spinning; there was so much information, so many new things being revealed to her in one go. She knew there was an orphanage; she knew there had been a boy and a girl. She knew that he looked familiar. She knew she had seen that cross somewhere before.

"So… so you actually knew from the beginning,.." she raised a hand to touch her head.

"I had my suspicions," he nodded. "I was making sure that I was right. It seems I was…"

"Whammy House… Wendy… Hannah Wrighting was my original name?" she asked.

"It is," he nodded.

"Your real _is_ L," she said. "It's not just a nick name or a… an identity."

"I'm afraid it is."

"I was the one who gave you that necklace…" she frowned. Why were there so many things suddenly flooding her mind? It felt like some sort of floodgate had opened and she knew so many things now.

"You were the first person who celebrated my birthday with me," she went on.

L paused to sip his tea. He had not been expecting that. Was Lucretia gaining back her memories? Was it even possible to be able to trigger her mind to remember back all those things she had lost?

"I was… walking down the street back to the orphanage when…" she went on, as if in a daze. "When I was grabbed into an alleyway."

"Lucretia? Are you alright?" L asked, concerned.

She did not look well. She was pale and trembling all over, hands clutching onto her head.

"He… pulled out a knife and slashed at me," she said, pictures flashing through her mind as if she was watching a slideshow in her brain. "I tried to run but he pushed me into the wall. My head was bleeding, it hurt… he wanted to kill me. There was no one else around."

"Lucretia," L went over to her and shook her, afraid of the crazed look in her eyes.

"I escaped and ran," she went on. "And an oncoming car hit me. He picked me up, feigning to be just a passer-by. He whispered in my ear… he whispered that he… he was coming after me… he would finish what he began… He would… he would…"

And she fainted. L stood above her, not knowing what to do. That was very, very odd. What on earth could she be talking about? Wait... was that actually how she lost her memories? She was almost _murdered_? But then who on earth could that man be? He looked down at her again, the position she was in looked very uncomfortable. He decided to pick her up and carry her back to her room to rest. It must have been rather traumatising to relive such a nasty memory. He cringed inwardly. Great, he made her go through more trauma to the head. He laid her down onto the bed and covered her with the blankets. L then walked over to the window and looked down to the street outside. They would need to move to another location soon. He had seen that same man with the hat sitting under that bench for the last three days.

* * *

"Look, Ryuk," Light pointed. 

"Hn?" the Shinigami looked to where he was pointing. "I don't see a thing."

"The birds, do you see them?" he asked.

"Yes?" Ryuk looked at him weirdly.

Light picked up a stone from the ground and threw it with a well-placed aim. There was a sickening crunch of bones breaking and the two birds fell to the ground in a bloody heap of feathers.

"That's what I call killing two birds with one stone," he laughed. "I've always wanted to do that."

"You scare me sometimes," Ryuk said with evidently no hint of fear in his voice.

"I learnt it from someone," Light told him.

"Who can that be?"

"Huh… I never asked his name though," Light said as they continued walking down the path.

"I think some people are right to call Kira a mad psychopath," Ryuk remarked.

"You don't mean that," Light said, throwing an apple at him.

"You're right," Ryuk took a bite from the apple. "Things wouldn't be interesting."

Light shook his head, smirking lightly

* * *

"Oh, so are you supposed to be my new partner?" a dark brown hair man with green eyes looked up from lighting his cigarette. "I was expecting someone more… masculine." 

The blonde hair woman glared at him, looking unimpressed, as she took the seat opposite him. "You're lucky enough I agreed to this job, Hunter. I've been trying to tie down that maniac Ryler for ages. Why do you think he's in Japan again?"

"He's going after the pretty girl he didn't get to kill seven years ago," Hunter replied.

"What pretty girl? Enlighten me," Melrose said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hannah Wrighting," Hunter slid the file over to her. "She was involved in a car accident seven years ago, she's lost her memories. But the person who ran her over told the police that there was this man who helped him bring Wrighting to the hospital. Guess who the mystery man was; a) Ryler b) Ryler and c) Ryler."

"He didn't get to kill the girl so he's going after her now?" Melrose raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely sure, remember that raid we made on his house?" he asked. "We found pictures of her all over his ceiling."

"That is sick," Melrose commented.

"I'll say," Hunter blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Do you know where the girl is?" Melrose asked. "What's she's doing now, all that?"

"Yeah, she's a psychologist and she's currently on this so-called famous Kira Case with that freak detective," Hunter told her.

"L is not a freak!" Melrose exclaimed. "He is the best detective on earth."

"Yeah, right, we'll see when he cracks this case, shall we?" Hunter signalled for the waitress to take his order. "What do you want, babe, it's on me."

Melrose gave him a very dirty look as she ordered herself a cup of coffee.

* * *

A/N: For some reason, I love Hunter. HAHA. And oh, what do you guys think; _To kill L or Not to kill L, that is the question_. Give me your input people, I love you all! 


	5. A Vague Inclination

Sweet **Temptations**

Chapter 5: A Vague Inclination

When Lucretia woke up the next morning, she had a splitting headache. It was as if her head was going to break into two right then and there. It was horrible. She groped around blindly for her clock but then found herself knocking her hand against a glass of water. The top surface spilled over the edge of the glass onto the bedside table where an aspirin laid innocently next to it. She groaned and swiped the two objects from their places, downing them immediately. She exhaled and dropped back onto the bed.

---

"It seems that things have only become worse with Kira," L muttered to himself, biting his thumb.

Just at that moment, the door opened and Lucretia looked as if she had stumbled upon the room by accident. Her hair was a wild mess and her usually professional suit was exchanged for a simple sweater, plaited skirt and long socks. She looked up at him and cleared her throat before going over to sit on the couch. L stared at her for a few seconds before diverting his attention back on the task at hand. It suddenly just occurred to him that he should be supplying Lucretia with new information.

"Only five members of the original team in the ICPO are willing to work with us on the case now," he told her.

She nodded, digesting this through her drugged brain. She had consumed three aspirins in a space of twelve hours, which was an unhealthy practice.

"I will be moving to the Teito Hotel today to meet with the members at midnight," he went on.

_Clang_

Hot tea spilled onto the carpeted floor and down Lucretia's leg but she took no notice of it, instead she stared at the man standing in front of her with wide shocked eyes. Did she hear that right? What was going through his mind? Did he think it was about time he should be exposing himself? First with her and now the ICPO team… did the Kira Case have some kind of important significance to L? So important, that he would risk exposing himself to people he believed will help him to solve this case once and for all? Was he so determined to even sacrifice his _own_ life just to get Kira?

"Are you sure?" she asked, knowing the answer anyway.

"Positive," he nodded. "You may join us after you have recuperated. Given the present state you are in now, I do not think you should be put under any strenuous pressure."

"I'm perfectly alright," Lucretia protested. "I can focus my mind on the case even with… personal distractions."

L cocked his head to the side. His nature demanded him to be frank but on second thought, it would be more prudent for him to take a more sensitive approach. He was sure Lucretia would have appreciated the later more.

"I am sure you can but it is essential to care for your health more at the present moment," L told her.

Lucretia looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, trying to find an inkling as to what he was thinking about. Without a word or a sign of her consent, she turned to clean the mess she had made earlier on with a frown. L turned back to the window and bit his thumb in thought. He had a feeling that he would be meeting more people face to face in the future. He wasn't exactly sure whether this was a good thing or not.

"L…" Lucretia's voice came out more timidly than she wished it to. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" he turned back to her.

She wrung her sleeves in nervousness. Her green eyes shifted from side to side and she bit her lip. It was painful just to look at her in such a state.

"Will I… be safe here?" she asked.

"Of course, there are security measurements everywhere in the room," L told her. "Watari had seen to them personally."

"I… but what if…" she glanced at him. "What if something happened? I'm… scared."

L did not like what he had just heard. Something was wrong with Lucretia and it might have something to do with her regained memories.

"Why?" he asked, walking over to the sofas.

"I…" she turned her terrified eyes onto him. "He'll come for me."

"He?"

"Yes, _he_," she nodded desperately. "He said he'd come back for me… to… to finish the job."

"What job?" L frowned.

"To kill me," she said in a high whisper.

"I assure you nothing of the sort will happen," L said. "I'll make sure to have Watari check on you every other hour."

"But-"

"If it bothers you so much, you can follow me to the Teito Hotel," he told her. "I would not mind if that is what you truly want."

"But I don't want to be in the way," she said.

"You won't," he said rather gently than was needed.

"Are you sure?" she pressed. "What about the ICPO, they won't mind?"

"I doubt it," he said. "Actually, I think they would find it an honour to work with you. You truly do have some very good theories."

"But they are only theories, no evidence," she told him.

"Some things begin with theories," he said. "From there, the evidence will come to light."

Lucretia took a deep calming breath. It was childish of her to harbour such fears. Nobody knew where they were, it would be impossible to track them down. There were hundred more hotels in the country and they were signed in under fake names. But she just couldn't help the gnawing feeling at the back of her mind that she was being watched.

"I'll stay in the bedroom, if that is alright with you," she said.

"I booked three rooms, you can have one for yourself," he told her.

"No!" she cried. "I don't want to be alone. Please."

He nodded. "I understand."

It must be nerve wrecking to suddenly remember that a mad murderer was supposed to be chasing after you. L had done a check on this man by hacking into a source with some confidential files concerning Hannah Wrighting. For all he knew, the man was nowhere to be found at all. So the threat of him coming after her was not exactly zero percent as well.

---

The men had arrived, Lucretia could hear them talking in the living area as she pressed her ear against the door. They were conversing in Japanese. She opened the door a small inch and peaked out at the five officers.

"I am L," L introduced himself, scratching his left foot with his right.

"I'm Yagami, the chief police."

"I'm Matsuda."

"Aizawa."

"Usata."

"Siza."

Lucretia tried to memorise their names and faces but her attention was disturbed as L raised his hand and pointed at them with his hand imitating a gun.

"Bang!" he said.

"Hey!"

"That's not funny!" one of them exclaimed.

"If I was Kira, you'd be dead already, Mr. Yagami," L told him.

_Hm, smart_.

Lucretia closed the door silently and crouched on the floor with her back on the door. She could hear them quite clearly and she was sure L was handling them all very well. She could hear them placing their phones away and then sitting themselves on the sofas.

"I just had an idea," someone said. "If Kira needs the names and faces of his victim to be able to kill them, all we have to do is stop all the news channels from broadcasting information about criminals."

"If you do that, Kira will kill innocent people instead," L said.

Lucretia's stomach growled. She had not eaten for the whole day. She looked around the room from her point of view and found to her dismay that there was nothing edible anywhere.

"Not only is Kira not afraid of our attempts, he counterattacks accordingly. What do you think he'd do if you stopped all broadcasting of criminal information?"

Lucretia clutched her stomach and buried her head between her knees miserably. She was deathly afraid of gastric pains. She stood up and opened the door just as L was saying how the media could be of use to them. Everybody turned to look at her and she had the grace to blush. She was not exactly at her best look. She had not changed since she left the Grand Hotel to Teito that afternoon and her white suit was rather wrinkled. She had let down her hair, which was in tangled knots here and there.

"Ah," L cocked his head to the side. "May I present Lucretia Laurent, who will be helping us on the case as well. Lucretia is a psychologist from London, she is excellent in what she does and I believe her theories will be an enormous help to us."

It was decided that she could continue to be called Lucretia as her _real_ name was Hannah Wrighting. They were almost certain that nobody would be able to figure that out unless they were connected personally to her past. The policemen greeted her politely and she smiled back, taking a seat near to L as she spotted cake on the table. She immediately helped herself to it. L's finger twitched as he watched her steal his cake.

"Please do continue," she laughed nervously at the little glare he was giving her. She knew it was his cake but she was starving.

"Yes," L set his attention back to the task on hand. "What I was about to say was…"

Lucretia listened intently to L's plan to make a fake announcement on television. Lucretia raised an eyebrow at him, which he deliberately ignored. Kira would not believe it for a second, he was too smart. 1500 members was such an impossible thing and it seemed certainly rash of the United Nations to issue such an order. Yet the police team readily agreed to this suggestion.

"Don't you think 1500 is a rather big amount?" Lucretia leaned over to whisper in his ear in French so the others would not understand.

"Perhaps," he replied with a childish looking smile that made her frown.

"Let me share a few personal insights on the case," L said in Japanese again and everybody placed their total attention on him except Lucretia who was still eating his cake. "Firstly, Kira acts alone. We can see this clearly from earlier reports."

"Why do you think that?" one of the members interrupted.

"Hold on, Aizawa, let Ryuuzaki finish first. Save the questions for later," the chief told him.

"Kira needs to know the face and name of his victim and he can control the time of death and the actions of the victim to some extent," L told them, reaching for a marker pen nearby. "Remember everything I have said so far and continue listening."

He then leaned over to scribble on the table in the most peculiar way of holding a pen Lucretia had ever seen. He began organizing the events that had happened in chronological order. Then he began outlining what Kira must have been doing during those periods. When he stopped, the policemen were all in a happy uproar that they could start investigating immediately. _Honestly, they are so over eager_… Lucretia mused.

"…Any questions?" L dropped the marker onto the table in a half-amused-half-exasperated manner.

"The number of people investigated in the first five days sure is small," one of the members observed.

"Ryuuzaki, I have a question," the chief spoke. "You said that you are a sore loser. Is showing yourself in front of us a failure for you?"

"Yes," L immediately replied. "This meeting and the death of the 12 agents are all completely my fault. However, I _will_ win in the end. This is the first time I've risked my life to catch a criminal. I want to let everybody here, who is also risking their life, to know that _justice will prevail_!"

The overly adorable look on L's face after that statement accompanied by the stunned faces of the ICPO members were enough to make Lucretia burst into an insane bouts of giggles. And when the members suddenly exclaimed their agreement, it was all Lucretia could do to hide her face behind a pillow and laugh silently until her sides ached with pain. L discreetly nudged her in the ribs as he was getting up. She looked at him with eyes full of laughter and hid her face once more behind the pillow.

"Now, I need to speak with each of you for a final check to make sure that Kira is not one of us," he announced.

As if he really needed to do that.

---

It was two in the morning when the ICPO members finally left the hotel room. Lucretia joined L by the window and looked out at the many lights shining brightly up at them from the streets below. Lucretia unconsciously watched a blond hair woman talking on her cell phone as she paced in front of a street lamp. She vaguely wondered what the woman was doing so late at night.

"One mistake," L said beside her. "He only needs to make _one_ small tiny mistake…. And I'll be able to get him."

Lucretia looked at him with suppressed admiration. He was standing relatively straight at that moment and Lucretia tilted her head to the side a little to look at his profile.

_He hasn't changed at all…_

"Tell me something," she said quietly. "I've been wanting to ask you this ever since I regained my memories which is a rather alarming thing, I have to say…"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he looked at her rubbing her left ear. A little habit she seemed to have repossessed once more.

"Why do you use L as your alias?" she asked. "Isn't it…"

"It is," he smiled at her fondly. "It's rather clever, don't you think? No one will ever think that it's my real name."

She laughed and nodded.

"It is rather clever…" she agreed.

"Don't you think you should rest now?" he asked.

"Don't you?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't worry about me, I'm a capable adult. A few cups of coffee in the morning and everything will be right."

"I prefer tea," he said.

"So I've observed," she laughed again.

"But you really should take your rest," he told her.

"Stop being my older brother," she joked.

"I don't know…" he cocked his head to the side again. "Being with you reminds me so much of the past…"

'I don't think that can be help," she mused.

"It brings out the obsessively protective brotherly side of me," he continued, unfazed.

"I honestly have no idea how you can say that with a straight face," she covered her lips to smother the giggles.

"Practice," he smiled good-naturedly.

"So I see," she raised her eyebrows.

"Go to sleep," he said. "You know I'll pester you the whole night if you don't."

"Alright, alright," she huffed playfully. "Good night, L. Or should I call you Ryuuzaki too?"

"When not in front of the others, you can call me L."

"Good night then… L," she smiled and slipped back into the bedroom.

The door clicked shut and L let out a deep breath. How can it be so easy to control your emotions at one point and so hard to control them at another? He let out another sigh. After all, _he was only a boy before he was a detective_… L turned back to the window and saw the same blond woman still standing by the same lamppost. She was looking up to his room. He closed the curtains brusquely. Why did it agitate him so much? _Who was she_?

---

"He just closed the window," Melrose said with her hand phone pressed to her ear. "I saw her. She was talking with him."

"That's great, that means they're both safe and they're one step on the way of catching Kira," Hunter said from the other line. "Do you know how long that idiot has been sitting there? Just staring at nothing? I'm beginning to think he died, thank the Gods."

"Maybe he knows you're watching him," Melrose frowned.

"I just got an idea, what if I just send his name and picture to Kira and get him to kill him off for us so I can go to the Caribbean for a tan?" Hunter spoke excitedly. "Would you like to join me too, Rosie? You're looking a bit peaky recently."

Melrose smacked her forehead in exasperation. "_You. Are. An. Idiot._ Anyway, I'm heading back now, you should too."

"Yeah, alright, meet you in ten then," he said.

"Uh-huh," Melrose disconnected.

With one final glance to the closed window, she turned around and walked away.

A/N: Reviews are sooooooooo much appreciated! (grins)

And once again, the question still stands: _**To**__ Kill L Or __**Not To**__ Kill L?_

Misa: Who can kill L-san? Look at him, and his panda eyes! (pinches L's cheeks while grinning maliciously) Isn't he just a-do-ra-ble!! (heart)

L: (pretends to be oblivious while munching on some sugar cubes)

Light: …Misa… please get off him.

Misa: But Misa-chan likes L-san! Oh, oh, oh, Light-kun, do you think I can keep L-san as my PET?

Light: (stares at Misa) Are you really that stupid?

L: I would gladly like to be your pet, Misa-chan.

Light: (jaw drops) O.O (100000000x)

DA: (shoves Misa off and grabs L to herself) HE'S _MY_ PANDA! ROAR! GO AWAY!

Light: Hey! I thought _I_ was your pet!

Misa: GASP!

DA: …Er. You're my cute little kitty. (grins)

Light: (thinks about it) …Will I get treats?

DA: Sure!

Light: Okay, then:D

DA: (drops L back onto his chair)

L: (still munching on his sugar cubes)

Misa: (faints)

Much Love, Devil-Angel (inserts heart) xx


	6. Arousing Suspicions

A/N: Phew. I finished writing two chapters in one go! I'm beat for the night! I have Finals coming up real soon. It's not just Finals but it's the Big Finals. As in… O LEVEL! Eep! So I may or may not be able to post for a whole month. Hm. God, I'm stressing out! Aaah! Someone wish me luck! It might help me out some! (smiles)

* * *

Sweet **Temptations**

Chapter 6: Arousing Suspicions.

"Shit!" Melrose got up from her seat and rushed to the door where a bleeding Hunter had just stumbled through. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"Some maniac… no, I think, I'm almost sure it was Ryler…" Hunter managed to get over to the couch and sat down. "He jumped me just as I was passing by this alleyway. Gods… lucky I didn't have anything on me except my money."

"Yeah, thank God…" Melrose sighed. "Did he pull a knife on you?"

"Yeah, he did, conked me over the head real hard too, damn, I can already feel a bump," he told her.

"I'll get the first aid box," Melrose hurried out of the room.

"Oh, God, I need a smoke," Hunter groaned.

---

Lucretia gasped as her eyes flew open. It was almost noon and she could hear the investigation team outside talking with L. Lucretia got out of bed and cleaned up before grabbing her laptop. She got out of the bedroom and into the living room area of the hotel room.

"It's nice to finally have you with us, Lucretia," L told her and she smiled nervously at the others.

"Good morning everyone," Lucretia placed her laptop on the coffee table and sat on the floor. She helped herself to some cake and tea on the table.

"As I was saying, I apologize for hammering you all for questions," L said. "Kira isn't here."

Lucretia opened her web browser and began surfing the Internet.

"How do you know if one of us isn't Kira, Ryuuzaki?" the chief asked.

"I've got a plan," L told them. "It's a test that none of you are aware of."

Just then L's phone began beeping and Lucretia looked up in time to see Matsuda's mutinous face. She chuckled and went back to her laptop.

"Oh, sorry," L said and answered the phone. "Gotcha, we're pretty much finished up here. Use your own key to come in."

He closed his phone and pocketed it before turning back to the team.

"Watari is coming."

The door clicked open and closed. Watari walked in, taking off his hat. The investigation team started at the sight of him and they openly stared at his presence.

"Good work, everyone," Watari said rather cheerfully. "You must be thinking 'this old geezer is Watari?' Ryuuzaki has told you everything, correct?"

Lucretia laughed at the old man's words. L took the opportunity that everyone was busy gaping at Watari to lean over and look at what she was doing on her laptop.

"Excuse me? Surfing the internet?" he asked in hushed tones.

"I'm trying to look up supernatural methods of killing," she shoved him back to his seat.

"Ryuuzaki must really trust you all if he let you see my face," Watari continued.

"Ye… yes…" the team laughed nervously.

"Ryuuzaki, I brought the things you ordered," Watari took out a metal box.

"Hand them out," L nodded to him.

Watari opened the box and five polished badges rested in a straight row on the velvet cushion. They were an exact replica of the officers' real badges except for the details inside.

"This is everyone's new badge," L said.

"New?" Aizawa asked.

"Your name and position must be anonymous," L told them. "Kira must know the name and face of the victim in order to kill them. So we must use these badges."

He took a sip of tea as the badges were being handed out.

"But for a cop to use a fake badge…"

"We'll die if Kira knows who we are. We should use this," Yagami told his team and Matsuda instantly agreed.

Just at that moment, Lucretia was reading up a very interesting article on the web.

"Hey, L, you don't mind if I go out for a while, do you?" she asked quite suddenly.

"Where are you going?" he looked at her suspiciously.

"To a library," she said and stood up. "You don't mind, right?"

"Do you have your strap?" he asked.

"It's right here," she held up her hand to show him the black cloth tied around her wrist that contained a small tracer inside it.

"Don't be too late," he said.

"I won't," she promised.

With a hasty goodbye to the others, she grabbed her coat and walked out of the door. She only realized that she did not have a map on her when she walked out of the hotel. Lucretia smacked her forehead for her stupidity and fished in her pocket for her mobile phone. Maybe there was some program in it…

"Aha!" Lucretia smiled as a mini map appeared on the small screen. "So… I have to walk pass the police station to get there… and exactly where is the police station…?"

Looking around uncertainly, Lucretia walked down the street. She felt that she didn't really like the streets of Japan that much. It was too crowded and she was almost deathly afraid of crowds in fear of being mobbed or some other. She could be pretty phobic at times. She shook her head. There she goes again. One thing she found about being a psychologist was that she tended to psychoanalyze almost everything.

"Oh, get a grip," she muttered to herself and roughly shoved her hands into her coat pocket.

She walked by a colourful store and looked in briefly. It was only then that she realized that it was New Year's Day. Christmas was a week ago and she didn't even realize it. How sad her life must have been becoming… Lucretia looked at her mini map and found that she was nearing the police station. About time too, she was starting to feel lost. So a few more blocks and she'd be able to find the library…

"I'm a member of that investigation team."

Lucretia stopped and turned around. She stared at the two people standing a few feet away from her. She instantly recognized the boy. It was Chief Yagami's son, Light. The woman was unfamiliar to her. What on earth were they doing?

"L is in charge right now," Light said.

_Now, this is strange, _Lucretia thought.

"Yes, no surprise there," the woman said.

"L has been troubled by the lack of progress lately," Light was saying. "Mostly because many investigators quit out of fear of Kira."

Lucretia managed to hide herself in a corner near them to eavesdrop.

"Even though I'm still in high school, I've solved many difficult cases before, that's why I can casually walk in and out of the headquarters as a person recognized as part of the team. A special team."

_Why would Light be lying? She heard he was incredibly brilliant. Was the woman dangerous? Could Light be helping them?_

"So, talking to you is like talking to the investigato- no, L…" the woman said. "That's enough then, I've told everything I know. I worked under L to solve a case two years ago in the States."

_She was from the States?_

"Even though we only communicated through the computer, I believe that there is no case that L cannot solve."

_She's spoken with L! _Lucretia's eyes widened from shock and she hazarded a peek to take a better look at the woman.

"You worked under L?" Light frowned.

"That's because I used to be an FBI agent until three months ago," the woman explained.

"_FBI_?" Lucretia said under her breath.

"No wonder, the way you handle Kira's case is very professional. I can learn a lot from you," Light said.

_She was investigating Kira? But no, it can't be, L never mentioned a thing about her._

"I've begun to suspect people from within the Japanese police, but… I believe that L will solve this case," she said with determination that Lucretia could easily relate with. "That's why I've come to contact the team."

"I see… but why would you tell me all the things that you're going to tell L?" Light asked.

"I couldn't see the list of names of the people on the team," the woman said quietly that Lucretia had to strain to hear her over the din of the crowd. "You told me you were the chief's son and gave me your name. And… you give me the same feeling as L."

Now, this Lucretia _had_ to find out about.

"Let's work on this case together," Light said.

"What?" came the woman's shocked reply.

"Become a member of our team," Light said. "This way, you can speak directly with L. No, you can catch Kira yourself!"

"What is this boy thinking about?" Lucretia asked herself.

"My dad recommended me for the team because I wanted to help in the investigation. Since the team needed more people, and I happened to be qualified, we need someone like you. You're not just any investigator; you've worked in the FBI. You are more than qualified for this team. The conditions to join the team are a valid and secure identification, a recommendation from a member already on the team, and L's approval. Fate must want you to be on the team."

_A lot of words_, Lucretia frowned. _And what the bloody hell was that about fate? Geezus, the kid must be delusional or something…_

"Sorry, I got a bit excited," Light said sheepishly.

"That's okay."

"Even though the team doesn't require you to be around every day, it may be difficult for you… you live in the States, right?" Light asked.

"…We were planning to get married this spring and move to America afterwards…" the woman said sadly. "What am I going to do now?"

"But you're young and pretty, this is too dangerous for you," Light said.

"No! I'd give anything to catch Kira! I have no regrets!" the woman exclaimed. "I want to join the team."

"Okay, then can I see some ID?" Light asked.

"Uh… that…" the woman stammered embarrassedly. "The name I told you wasn't real… sorry…"

"Oh? That's fine," Light said. "Don't worry about it, you're even more amazing that I first suspected!"

Lucretia had to agree with that. She was even more cautious than L, perhaps.

"Would my Japanese ID work?"

Lucretia frowned as she watched the woman hand over the ID. She had an incredibly bad feeling about this. What was her real name?

"When did you start working for the FBI?" Light asked.

"From September of 2001 until October of 2003."

Just then Lucretia saw Aizawa pass by. She wondered where he was going that she didn't catch what Light and the woman had said.

"What's wrong?" Light asked all of a sudden.

"I have something to do," the woman turned around and walked away.

"Oh, seems like my dad finally called back. Want to talk to him?" Light asked.

"There is nothing to talk about."

Lucretia waited until Light was out of sight before hurrying down the street to catch up with the woman. She found her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hi, I'm a bit lost, can you show me the direction to the library?" Lucretia asked in English.

The woman blinked at her and nodded.

"Sure, it's just over there, I'll bring you there," the woman said.

"Are you busy? I don't want to trouble you," Lucretia told her.

"No… I'm not… that busy, it'll be really quick anyway," the woman said.

"So what's your name? Are you Japanese?" Lucretia asked her. "I'm Lucretia Laurent, by the way, I came from England."

"…I'm Misora Naomi," she said. "I'm Japanese but I recently came back from the States to visit my parents…"

"Oh, I see, that's decent of you," Lucretia smiled. "You seem like a really nice and reliable person. What do you work as?"

"I used to work for the government," she said.

"Oh, I see…" Lucretia nodded. "You know, I'm actually going to the library to investigate about Kira. Everyone's talking about him. I'm a psychologist, by the way, and I think Kira is using supernatural methods to kill people."

"I think so too," the woman said. "And also, I think he can manipulate the victim's actions before they die. If you look at the robber who died from stabbing himself and the bus hijacking, it can't be just a coincidence. Kira must have been using the bus hijacking to get information."

"Really?" Lucretia frowned in concentration. "What information?"

"Yes, I actually wanted to tell the chief in charge… but… never mind," Naomi sighed.

"What do you mean never mind?" Lucretia asked.

"It's just…" Naomi looked up. "We're here."

"Huh?" Lucretia blinked and saw the library in front of them. "Oh, yeah, thanks a lot."

"Your welcome… good luck on your research," Naomi said and began to walk away.

"Wait! Maybe you could help me!" Lucretia called.

"No, I have something to do anyway," Naomi told her before being getting swallowed up by the crowd.

Lucretia stood at the steps of the library in a daze. Misora Naomi… was that her _real_ name? She knew so much, she must be incredibly smart as well. But where was she going? And why didn't she want to tell the chief about it anymore? She sounded so enthusiastic when she was talking with Light earlier on. And what information did Kira want from the hijacking? The hijacking… how was it connected to Kira? And also…

A supernatural method of killing that is able to manipulate the time, place and action of the victim before death. All that by knowing the face and name of the victim alone…

Lucretia gripped the sling of her bag containing her laptop and frowned. It couldn't be… could it? Could something like that actually exist in this world? But exactly who would believe her anyway?

* * *

Has Lucretia figured something out? Is Light being suspected? Will the investigation team ever figure out what's on L's mind? And when are the two bumbling agents going to show themselves? Find out in the next instalment of** Sweet Temptations**! (theme music plays in background)

.DA xx

To Kill L Or Not To Kill L?

It is now 1:2.


	7. Looking For Answers

A/N: Hi guys, I'm back! (smile smile) It really is kinda hard to write this story and make it good. I put in a lot of effort and it makes me real happy to see that you all like it:) Only because I have to reread what I wrote in the previous chapter and then open my DN manga and reread a few chapters and then reread the last few chapters and go back to my story and reread what I've already written and fit everything in again _and _make it look real. Phew. Lots of hard work there. Lol. I even do those planning map things! See how much effort I put in this story… u.u"

* * *

Sweet **Temptations**

Chapter 7: Looking For Answers

Lucretia exhaled in annoyance and ran a hand through her hair. What she found in the library did not help in the slightest. She was even more confused about that conversation with Misora Naomi than ever. She was afraid to tell the investigation team about this… Even if she told only L, would he believe her? There could have been a hundred and one reasons for the boy to say those things. She could not just draw her own conclusions just like that.

And about Misora Naomi, she had decided to give Lucretia her real name. Lucretia checked her up and found her complete details. She had been engaged to Penber, the same Penber that was investigating families for L in the Kira Case. Penber was investigating the Kitamura and Yagami families. Light was with Naomi that day… Lucretia shook her head. Could Light and Penber have been on that same bus that had been hijacked…?

She needed to find out. Lucretia walked out of the room just as L exclaimed something about an envelope missing. Lucretia did a double take when she saw all the monitors. She had locked herself up in her room for a couple of days and had not noticed when the monitors were put up. She instantly recognized the footage they were watching.

"There weren't any envelopes among his articles," Yagami said, looking at his reports.

"Something must have happened on the train," L said.

"Could the envelope have had the agent's information? Kira stole the envelope while they were on the train, and killed Penber once he got off," Matsuda suggested.

"Impossible, Penber boarded at 3.13 and he received the information some time after. Penber couldn't have received the information before 3.13," L said.

"Oh, that's right…" Matsuda scratched the back of his head.

"Please bring me all the footage of the Yamanotesen security cameras starting from the 27th," L turned to Aizawa. "Also, on the footage of Penber's death… it seems as if he's trying to look towards the train before he died."

"Is this an important detail?" Yagami asked, uncertain.

"It would be pretty interesting if he was looking at Kira himself," L said.

"No… no way," Yagami frowned.

"I don't think so either," L said. "Kira can kill people from far away, I don't think he would need to be so close to make this happen. But maybe he knows we'd think that so he purposely stayed close to his victim."

"What?" Matsuda exclaimed in surprise.

"Let's just say Kira really was on the train, and the security cameras couldn't record the person who took the envelope," L said. "It's possible that before the incident, he scouted out the locations of all the cameras and their blind spots. But if he ever was caught on tape after all, he would become a major suspect."

"Kira can control the time, place and action of his victims before death," Lucretia suddenly spoke up from behind him, scaring everyone witless by her sudden appearance.

"Yes? You finally decided to become human again, I see," L said to her.

She gave him a dirty look before continuing on, "What if Kira planned everything from the very start? What if Penber got that envelope from Kira, the envelope could contain anything, it doesn't have to be information. Maybe it was a communication device so Kira could hide somewhere while giving instructions to Penber. Penber had his laptop, didn't he? He could have written the names down on a piece of paper and put it in the envelope. And maybe… just maybe, Kira _planned_ Penber to die after giving him the information."

The investigation team stared at her.

"In order to give the information to Penber, Kira would have to confront him," L said.

"Maybe he did, there are blind spots in the station, he must have used them," Lucretia told him. "And unlike the rest of you, I've been keeping a very close eye on all recent deaths. A man, who was suspected of crimes, died that same day in the station. Kira must have threatened Penber. _If you do anything or turn to look at me, I'll kill everyone around you_."

"How on earth did you come up with that?" Matsuda stared at her in awe.

"Do you know something, Lucretia?" L looked at her suspiciously.

"No," Lucretia said vaguely, turning around. "I just have a very vivid imagination and a remarkable set of brain cells."

"Believing that Kira was on the train with Penber… Penber must be an important part in our investigation," L said. "So, Aizawa will investigate the eleven other agents and the other victims. Yagami-san and Matsuda-san will investigate Penber's death."

Watari's phone started ringing and the man answered it.

"Ryuuzaki, Usata-san from headquarters has received an interesting phone call," Watari said.

"Give Usata the number to line five and have that person contact me directly," L said. "Matsuda, you can turn on your cell. No, I mean turn it on now."

"Oh, right…" Matsuda took out his phone and switched it on.

It immediately began ringing and L snatched it from his hand. Matsuda looked at him in annoyance.

"This is Suzuki, information specialist of the Kira Investigation," L answered. "…Penber's fiancée?"

Lucretia turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. _Naomi Misora_?

"Misora Naomi… sounds familiar," L turned to look at Watari who immediately searched for her information on his laptop.

L listened carefully to the person on the other line before thanking them and saying they would do what they can. He ended the call and faced the team.

"Yagami-san, is it still possible to locate cell phones that are turned off?" L asked.

"Of course," Yagami nodded.

"Raye Penber and his fiancée came to Japan and stayed at the same hotel…" L said as he handed Matsuda back his phone. "A day after Raye died, Naomi disappeared."

"She must have been devastated by Raye's death… maybe…"

"Suicide…"

"No, I doubt it, Naomi has too strong of a will to do that," L said. "She'd go after Kira on her own instead… She was with Penber, maybe she knows something."

Lucretia leaned against the wall, feeling terribly confused.

"Penber definitely gave Halley Belle, the first agent to receive the profiles a call," L went on. "Afterwards, Belle sent the information to Penber. The person who wanted the info the most should be Penber. With his strange behaviour in Yamanotesen, along with Naomi's disappearance…"

"There's something to all this," Matsuda said.

"Everyone," L raised his voice. "Please investigate all the people Penber was following ever since Kira began his experiments on December 19th. The list should be small. However, Kira should be among them. So we can't reveal ourselves by directly questioning those people. Penber was investigating your families, even though Penber's report said that the families were not suspicious, in every family that Penber investigated… please install hidden cameras and electronic bugs in all of their homes."

The reaction was immediate. Aizawa and Matsuda began protesting that it was illegal and that they would lose their jobs if their bosses found out. L asked them if they valued their jobs more over human lives and they quieten down.

"Who was Penber investigating at the time?" Yagami asked with a troubled expression.

_This shan't be nice. _Lucretia buried her face in her hand.

"From the 19th, Penber was investigating…" Matsuda checked through the reports and paused, eyes widening in horror.

"Sub-chief Kitamura's family and…" L continued for him. "Chief Yagami's family… then please install cameras and electronic bugs in these two households."

"No way! If anyone found out, everyone would be fired!" Aizawa continued to protest.

"Then you must install them as discreetly as possible," L said, apparently determined to carry this out.

"Ryuuzaki, what is the chance that Kira is actually in one of these families?" Yagami asked.

"… 10 percent," L answered. "No, more like 5 percent."

"Right, normally I'd want a 50 percent chance of me being right before doing something like this," Aizawa said.

"And even now, we still don't have a suspect," Yagami said. "Even if the odds were one percent, we still have to investigate thoroughly."

"Does 'investigating thoroughly' mean installing illegal surveillance equipment? And in Kitamura's and your home, no less… Do we have any other choice?" Matsuda asked.

"I cannot accept that my family is a suspect!" Yagami cried. "Please install them! Also, make sure every single angle of the house is being monitored! Even the bathroom!"

"Thank you for you cooperation, I was going to do that anyways," L said.

"Director! What are you thinking?" Matsuda exclaimed. "You do know what this means, right?! You have a daughter and a wife!"

"Of course I know! If we are going to find Kira then we are going to have to do everything we can! So shut your mouths!" Yagami yelled.

There was a moment of silence.

"…Sorry…. Don't worry, it's fine…" Yagami said shakily.

"I can monitor the women if that should ease your mind," Lucretia offered. "But, however… I think we should put more emphasis on the men."

"Are you saying you know Kira is a man?" Matsuda asked.

"No, I don't know, if I did, I would know who it was," Lucretia said, watching Penber's death on the monitor with hateful eyes. "But I am almost sure it is. No… I am dead sure… Kira is a male. And besides, according to my psychoanalysis of Kira, it is definite that he is a male. Females are too simple minded to care about being a God and cleansing the world. If I had the weapon Kira has, I would use it for personal reasons instead. Most probably revenge."

"You realize what you're saying right…" Matsuda stared at her in disbelief.

"I'll take your advice then, Lucretia," L told her. "You possibly narrowed down our search."

"Of course there's still no harm in checking everyone else just to be sure," Lucretia said.

"That is correct. This requires some sacrifices," L said. "Well then, the director and I will monitor the Yagami home. The rest of you work in shifts. One of you head back to the headquarters and work there while another rechecks the Penber footage. The others will monitor the Kitamura family. We will watch the families for seven days, depending on how things go, we may stop early."

Lucretia sat down next to L and sighed.

"When the surveillance is finished, inform the families, leave no equipment either. Do you all understand?" L asked. "Watari, when can you have the surveillance equipment ready?"

"By tomorrow, we can install as soon as we are positive that nobody is home," Watari replied.

The team was looking pretty disconcerted at the moment.

"Also, book two more rooms from a different hotel to serve as monitoring stations," L said. "Once we've installed the equipment, we will move to those immediately."

---

"You've been acting strangely, Hannah…" L said as Lucretia sighed next to him on the sofa.

Lucretia looked up at him in surprise. That was the first time he had called her Hannah since she regained her memories.

"I have?" she buried her face in her hands and sighed. "I guess I have…"

"Do you know something? Or is something else troubling you?" L asked. "You don't normally shut yourself in a room for very long unless you had a problem or some other."

"How is it that you know me so well?" Lucretia muttered darkly. "Yes, I do have some problems… but I'm afraid to tell it to you."

"If it is about the Kira Case, I strongly ask you to do so," L frowned.

Lucretia took a deep breath and told him about the conversation she had overheard between Light and Naomi and her own meeting with the woman.

"She said something about a bus hijacking but I don't get it," Lucretia frowned. "Was Penber on that bus? If he was, who could he have been following? It could have been anyone from the two families, right?"

"It is hard to determine the real person but it could be Yagami Light…" L said.

"Yes, why did he act so strangely? Why would he lie?" Lucretia asked.

"I heard he was conducting his own investigation on Kira," L said. "Perhaps, he just wanted Naomi to help him instead."

"Perhaps…" Lucretia bit her lip.

"Hannah… do you think Kira could be Light?" he asked.

Lucretia gasped. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"Yes or no?" L pressed.

"I… well, he _could_ be but there's no proof of the matter and _how_ on earth could he have done all these things?" Lucretia cried in desperation.

"Kira is extremely clever and cunning," L said. "We do not know Yagami Light's true nature. For all we know, he _could_ be. "

"He _could_ but we don't if he _is_," Lucretia sighed.

"What does your instinct tell you?" L raised his eyebrows.

"They're not telling me anything, I think they went on a vacation," she answered sarcastically.

L rolled his eyes at her in exasperation.

"But L…" she said quietly making him look at her attentively. "Do you think we'll die on this investigation?"

"The possibility of us dying is at least ninety percent," he told her.

"What!" she exclaimed as it was the first time she heard him using a percentage above twenty.

And that made her feel _so_ much better.

"Well, for me at least," he shrugged. "Since Kira should be putting in all his efforts to nail me down."

"Ah… well, you're right about that…" Lucretia frowned, disconcerted. "But, I mean… well… This investigation is just all too surreal. What if we're dealing with the impossible?"

"We already _are_ dealing with the impossible, Hannah," he said. "Don't push yourself too hard, alright? Have some rest."

"Look who's talking," Lucretia muttered back.

L looked at her and chuckled. He leaned against the sofa and stretched his legs on the cushion in front, wriggling his toes a little.

"My legs are cramped," he mumbled.

"No surprise," Lucretia raised an eyebrow. "Sitting like that for the whole day? You're just asking for it."

"Hmph," L leaned over to grab a slice of cake.

Lucretia folded her arms. "You are such a child."

"I don't deny that," he replied.

"I give up on you," Lucretia threw her hands in the air.

L chuckled again at her.

"Hey, L… the reason why you let me see you face to face in the beginning…" Lucretia began. "It's not because of ym theories, wasn't…. it was only because you wanted to find out if I was really Hannah Wrighting, am I right?"

"You are partly correct," L told her. "You are indeed very smart, Lucretia. You found out that Kira could be a student when a whole police division couldn't. And you also found that he could control the time of death of the victim by monitoring all the deaths."

"Well… if you work hard enough…" Lucretia waved her hand.

L glanced at the time. "It's getting late, you know."

"I know but I feel that if I go to bed now, I'll just spend the night tossing and turning," she lifted her laptop from the table and placed it on the armrest next to her.

"If you say so," L said as Lucretia went to work again.

The night dragged on with the sounds of the fork clinking and the tapping of the keyboard. L was watching the Penber footage again for any other small supposedly unimportant details when he noticed that the sound of tapping had stopped. He looked over to Lucretia and found her sleeping on top of her laptop. He reached over with his foot to grab the blanket from the other couch and tossed it over her. He then exchanged the laptop for a pillow. L paused with the fork in his mouth as he cocked his head and looked at her.

"You look even more childish than me," he told the sleeping figure and brushed her hair away from her face. "Like a baby angel."

He chuckled at himself.

* * *

_For those who are curious about the two agents_…

* * *

Hunter stared at the container of coffee in his hand then to the coffee machine in front of him. He flipped the switch on and off in confusion.

"Rosie, how do you use this coffee machine?" he yelled.

Melrose buried her face in her hand and felt a vein throbbing on her temple.

"You… don't…. know… how… to… use… a... coffee… machine…?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Why am I stuck with an idiot like you?!"

"Hey, it's not my fault, the thing won't switch on!" Hunter protested.

"The plug, idiot, the plug!" Melrose shrieked. "Did Ryler hit your head too hard or were you born that way?"

"Oh, right!" Hunter laughed as he held the plug in his hand. "And where does this go to?"

"Oh, God…" Melrose looked to the ceiling as if in prayer.

* * *

"You know, Ryuk… I am so bored right now," Light said as he lied on his bed, staring up to the ceiling.

"Go kill more people with the Death Note then," the Shinigami replied.

"If only I knew what he was up to right now…" Light ignored him. "If only I knew his weakness…"

"I bet he has a girlfriend," Ryuk snickered. "If you can find her and keep her as a hostage, he'll surely surrender himself to you in a huge box covered with wrapping paper."

Light sat up and gave Ryuk a deadpan stare.

"You watch too much TV."

"I watch too much TV," Ryuk nodded.

* * *

Light: You always make me look like some weirdo, you know. (glares at DA)

DA: …You mean you're _not_?? (gasp!)

Light: (veins pops) Why you little…! (strangles DA)

DA: (blue) Acckk..!! Choking…!! L, help!!

L: (munching on his sugar cubes) Hm?

DA: Meep! X.X

L: (reads script) Oh, right. Aha! I knew you were Kira! Unhand her now!

Light: (drops DA onto the ground) That was so wrong, you make a horrible actor, L.

L: I do: (

Light: Ye-ah. Lemme show you. (grabs script) _AHA_! I knew you were Kira! Unhand her NOW! (very enthusiastically)

L: Oh, I see now! Wow, Light, you're really cool! (starry eyed)

Light: (sparkle sparkle) I know right.

DA: -.-" Show-off. Oh, and it's decided that L SHALL LIVE!!

L: YEAY! (throws hands up in the air and does the wave)

Light: NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…!! T.T

DA: …(stares at Light) Dramatic much?

L: (nods head in agreement) o.o"

DA xx


	8. Unheard Of

Sweet **Temptations**

Chapter 8: Unheard Of

"Yagami Light. According to the people who installed the instruments, there was a small trap made to tell whether or not someone entered his room while he was out. Other than that, his room does not have anything strange. He's entering his room now. That would be camera number 85."

L leaned over to press a button to switch the monitors to the appropriate cameras. Lucretia sat down next to L and the chief with a plate of chocolate fudge cake. They watched as Light entered his room and lay on the bed. He then got up and went to his wardrobe to change before exiting the room again. He closed the door and bent down to place the paper trap between the door.

"So he set a trap there after all…" Yagami said. "Does he have something to hide?"

"Seventeen is a sensitive age," L said. "Doing something like this wouldn't be strange at all. I used to do lots of pointless things too."

Lucretia snorted. "That's true."

Yagami turned to them with a raised eyebrow.

"_What on earth do the youths nowadays think of_?" he thought to himself.

"By the way, Yagami, I hear that your son is interested in the Kira Case and is conducting an independent investigation. Have you mentioned any information to him regarding our efforts?" L asked.

Yagami looked at him in horror. "Definitely not! I have mentioned to my family about out situation with the Kira Case but I've never revealed anything confidential to them. Also… I haven't been home for a long time, and whenever I go there I immediately slump into my bed."

"I see…" L nodded.

"You know…" Lucretia licked chocolate off her finger. "Your son looks tense. Is he under any stress? Examinations? Personal affairs?"

"I wouldn't know about his personal affairs, since they _are_ personal…" Yagami said. "But I don't think it can be about examinations. Light is a brilliant student, he is always the top of his class."

"You must be proud to have such a son," Lucretia turned back to the monitors.

"Well… I guess you're right," Yagami gave a small smile.

They waited for what seemed like an hour before Light came back home with some stuff he bought. He went back into his room and lay down on the bed again. He then took out the things he bought.

"Oh, my…" Lucretia touched her lips and blushed visibly.

"My son… reads porno magazine?" Yagami asked in shock.

"It's normal for a seventeen year old boy... I think…" L said. "But still… I think he's faking it to make it seem normal that he covered the door gap with a slip of paper."

"What do you mean, Ryuuzaki? Are you saying my son could be Kira?" Yagami asked.

"Of course, that's why I ordered your home to be put under surveillance as well," L told him, unperturbed.

"If he's faking it, then he suspects that someone entered his room and placed surveillance on him," Lucretia said. "Was the paper the only trap that he set?"

"The others did not notice any other traps around the door," L told her.

"Maybe it's the door handle!" Lucretia said. "He probably lifted it down a little so whenever he opens his door, he has to pull it up first."

"How do you know that?" Yagami asked in surprise.

"Actually, I was just guessing because I used to do that when I was young," Lucretia laughed. "I'm sorry, I was just kidding."

Yagami sighed in part relief and part exasperation of being forced to put up with two eccentric people in one room.

"Hahh, I got tricked by the cover again," Light's voice transmitted over the speakers.

He went over to his cupboard and pulled out a box where he slipped the magazine into, along with several others.

"They did a search when they wired up his room, but they didn't find any magazines hidden there," L said.

"Maybe they didn't check thoroughly," Lucretia pressed a hand to her mouth to smother a yawn.

Light went to his desk and took out his schoolbooks to revise. After a while, Sayu called him downstairs from the dining area. Light went out and down the stairs to join the others at the dining table.

"More music videos?" Light asked. "You should watch the news more, Sayu."

"Hisau is the love of my life! Brother, you should find an idol to like too!" Sayu told him.

"Your daughter is so sweet," Lucretia observed.

"…Thank you," Yagami said uncertainly.

"Can you stop analysing people, Lucretia…" L gave her a deadpan look.

"That's my job, isn't!" Lucretia pouted huffily.

"Hm…" L took out the walkie-talkie and pressed it to his ear. "Aizawa, are the Kitamuras watching TV?"

"Yes, the entire family is watching TV except for the assistant director," Aizawa answered.

L then contacted Watari with his laptop.

"Watari, begin the broadcast immediately."

"Affirmative," Watari replied.

"Oh, an NKK special report!" Sayu exclaimed.

Lucretia took out her glasses and put them on before leaning over to read the report.

"In an effort to capture Kira, the ICPO has ordered 1500 investigators from around the world to work in Japan," it said.

"Geh… you were serious about that…?" Lucretia scratched her cheek uncertainly and replaced her glasses into her coat pocket.

"1500 agents? That's amazing…" Sayu said.

"What a stupid move!" Light exclaimed.

"Eh?" Sayu stared at him.

"A public announcement like this one is completely useless. If they really wanted to investigate, they'd have to do so secretly. Even FBI agents who went undercover were killed. Publicly announcing that they're sending more agents would increase the casualties," he said.

"Ah! That's true, brother is so smart!" Sayu said.

"So this news report must be a bluff that the police are trying to scare Kira with," Light went on. "But it's so obvious, Kira is probably laughing at them right now."

L gave a little quirky smile.

"Your son really is pretty smart," L told Yagami.

"Huh? Uh… Yeah, I guess he is…" Yagami looked at him uncertainly.

Lucretia openly laughed at them all.

"I told you he wouldn't fall for it," Lucretia continued to laugh.

L looked at her in annoyance. "Light said Kira is probably laughing at it now, Lucretia, are you Kira?"

"Have your brain cells finally fried? If I was Kira you'd be dead now," Lucretia gave him a small glare.

"Oh, touche..." L said.

"Oh, look, Light is going to do some revision again. I envy people who have the ability to stay still and revise for hours," Lucretia pointed.

"How on earth did you become a psychologist then?" L asked.

"I was naturally talented."

"Ryuuzaki," Watari walked into the room.

"What is it, Watari?'

"The bribery and robbery suspect on the 9 o'clock news have both died in their holding cells," Watari read out.

"It's Kira!" Yagami jerked his head to look at Watari.

"Only the assistant director's wife and eldest daughter watched the news at the Kitamura's," Watari told them.

"The director's wife and daughter were watching a drama," L said. "After that ended, they turned off the television and didn't watch anything else. The son has been studying since 7.30… it's 11.00 now."

"We've been sitting here for so long?" Lucretia stretched.

"Neither family used the telephone… they didn't use the radio or internet either," L went on. "Kira needs a victim's name and face in order to kill them. If they didn't watch the news, then they are not Kira but…"

"As you can see, my family is innocent!" Yagami exclaimed.

"But the criminals Kira killed today only committed minor crimes…" L said. "Furthermore, the Yagami family shook off all suspicion in just one day…"

"Ugh…" Lucretia smacked her forehead.

* * *

"I have repeatedly reviewed the audio and video recordings from the past five days on both families," L said as everyone assembled around the coffee table that morning. "My conclusion is… regarding the existence of suspicious activities within those under surveillance, there is no reason to suspect either. Remove the cameras and microphones."

_Poor Mr. Yagami, he looks so dishevelled after this past few days_... _ah, well, actually everyone else doesn't look too good as well_, Lucretia frowned. _But I still don't feel comfortable. It feels as if we overlooked something…_

"Ah…. So we still don't have a prime suspect," Matsuda said.

"And I thought 'people who Raye investigated' was a good lead," Usata said.

"There is no trace of any member of these two families in the security footage from Shinjiku either," Aizawa told everyone.

"Don't be discouraged, we'll start again from the beginning," Yagami said. "Let's go over the suspects one more time."

"Don't get me wrong," L said. "I said there was no suspicious activity based only on the tapes."

"Huh?" Yagami faced L.

"Kira just didn't slip up," L said. "Or rather he quietly sent the criminals to their graves."

"Yeah, who knows what they do when they're out, right?" Lucretia said. "We didn't bug their clothes and nobody followed them."

"But are you sure Kira is one of these people?" Yagami asked.

"…Well… that has about a five percent chance of being true," L said.

"And five percent actually means a lot to L," Lucretia added, earning an exasperated look from the detective.

"If wiring up the houses doesn't work, we'll just have to investigate in person," Matsuda said.

"But if we actually run into Kira and speak to him, we will die!" Aizawa said.

"That's why we have to do what L… I mean, Ryuuzaki did. Investigate without showing our face."

"Kira will catch on sooner or later even if we do that," Aizawa told him.

"However, if personal investigations are the only option, we must be prepared to make them," Yagami told his team.

Lucretia threw a glance at L who had been stirring his tea rather noisily. He then stopped and looked down, going into his thinking mode again. Lucretia wondered what he was thinking about since she couldn't help but feeling totally blank at the moment.

* * *

"You're going to do what?!" Lucretia exclaimed. "L, are you serious?"

"Positive," L nodded. "I knew you would react this way."

"But…" Lucretia bit her lip. "It's really dangerous."

"Don't worry, he'll never find out my real name," L assured her.

"Well, if you're really set on doing this then I can't stop you, can I?" Lucretia sighed. "But just be careful, alright?"

Suddenly, Lucretia's mobile phone began ringing. She dashed over to her bag and flipped it open.

"Ben, I thought I told you to call me only when there's an emergency!" Lucretia cried.

"This _is_ an emergency!" Ben said from the other line.

"Well, what happened?" Lucretia folded her arms.

"I…. err… I don't know how to break this to you but…" Ben stammered.

"What?" Lucretia snapped.

"Your parents were murdered… just last night."

_Clunk_.

"Hannah?" L stood up from his seat and looked at Lucretia who stood stock still with her mouth hanging open in shock. "Are you alright?"

"Hello? Lucretia? Are you still there? Look, you don't have to come back if you don't want to but-" Ben's voice said loudly from the phone on the floor.

"Dead…" Lucretia said in a strained whisper, eyes wide and blank with disbelief. "All of them… dead…"

"Hannah?" L went over and shook her forcefully.

She grabbed his shoulders and looked at him with wild eyes. L took a step back in surprise. He didn't like that look in her eyes. It was almost… deranged.

"It's him! I know it, it's him!" she yelled. "I have to go back to London! I have to go back now!"

"What? Why?" L asked.

"My parents were murdered just last night!" Lucretia told him, breaking down and sobbing miserably. "It's all my fault! If it wasn't because of me, they wouldn't be…!"

"Calm down," L said, looking around frantically for a way to deal with this. "You need to calm down first."

"I killed them! I killed them!" Lucretia sank to her knees but still clutching onto L.

"Hannah…"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the hotel room. L looked up in surprise, as the knocking got louder.

"Excuse me, but is Lucretia Laurent inside?" a voice called. "Please open up!"

"It's them…" L looked towards the door.

"Them?" Lucretia blinked tearfully.

"They've been tailing you ever since you came to Japan," L told her.

"How do you know? Why haven't you told me before?" Lucretia asked, hurrying over to the door.

"Wait, Hannah!" L called but he was too late, Lucretia had opened the door.

A tall man and woman stood at the doorway. They looked at Lucretia in surprise then noticed her tear stained face. The two agents exchanged looks before turning back to her.

"So you know then…" Hunter bowed his head apologetically.

"Please… come in…" Lucretia told them, stepping aside.

"No, there's no need…" Melrose shook her head. "I know _he_ is in there… it won't do much good to the investigation if we came and messed things up."

"When are you going back to London?" Lucretia asked.

"Huh? Uh… I guess by tomorrow," Hunter scratched his head. "How do you know we're going back to London?"

"Perfect, book me an extra ticket," Lucretia told him. "I'm coming too."

"Are you sure?" Melrose asked. "We're aware that you are also on the case…"

Lucretia looked over her shoulder at L who nodded his permission to her. She looked so devastated by the whole ordeal; it was hard not to allow her to fly back.

"I'm sure…" she told the other two. "It was him, wasn't?"

"It was Ryler," Hunter nodded. "He didn't realize there were hidden cameras set up in your house by your parents. They were a smart bunch but unlucky for them to be targeted all of a sudden."

"So he _is_ still after me…" Lucretia muttered.

"Wait… you remember?" Melrose frowned.

"I'll explain everything later on…" Lucretia said. "Just… get me back home in time for the funeral."

"Don't worry about that," Hunter nodded. "We'll see you at the airport then."

"Goodbye," Lucretia nodded and the officers went away.

Lucretia closed the door with a shaky hand. She stared at it pathetically when another hand closed around hers. She looked up at L, her big green eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Why them? Why of all people…" she covered her mouth and sniffed. "What did they ever do to him…"

"I'm sorry…" L shook his head, feeling hopelessly inadequate in this sort of situation.

Lucretia let out a choked sob as L stroked her hair. He allowed her to rest her head on his chest as she tried her best to recompose herself and stop the tears.

"Everything will be all right… we'll catch him," L told her.

"When I get my hands on him…" Lucretia grit her teeth. "I'll tear him from limb to limb."

* * *

End of chapter 8.

Light: Brr... Lucretia is actually sharpening axes right now...

L: At least you don't have to put up with her most of the time. Just the other day, I saw her cutting herself. (she actually cut herself on accident with a letter opener)

Light: Whoa... poor messed up kid.

Lucretia: (achoo!) Is somebody saying bad things about me?!

L and Light: NO!

Lucretia: Oh, alright. (is actually just sharpening the knife to cut the meat for dinner, the boys exaggerate.)

L: (whispering) She's really scary when she gets mad. When we were young, she beat up this whole gang of boys just because they called her short.

Light: By _herself_?

L: (nod nod) They were three years her senior too.

DA: -.-" And I wonder if boys actually do gossip as well... Ah, now I know. And I just realized that all the main characters' names start with L! Gasp! Just look at that whole column!

Light: How daft of you. (gets smothered by a pillow)

L: (shrugs) Reviews brighten up an author's day!

.DA xx


	9. Unexpected Alliance?

Sweet **Temptations**

Chapter 9: Unexpected Alliance?

"This is where we found the bodies…"

Lucretia stepped into the living room area and looked down to the markings of the prone figures that had lain there hours before. Lucretia's eyes were a dark shade of colour that day, having forced herself to suppress her emotions. Her face was set into a blank mask. Behind her, she could hear the two agents asking the inspector in charge questions.

"They were shot," Lucretia said out loud.

"Yes, that's what the reports say," the officer confirmed.

"They were sitting on the sofa," Lucretia said, walking around the piece of furniture. "He came from behind. They heard him and turned, but it was too late. He shot them from here."

She stood approximately five feet from the sofa with her arms holding an imaginary shotgun in an effort to reenact the murder scene. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the bloodstains on the TV, walls and floor.

"From this angle, the distance of the blood splatter is achieved," she explained. "Two shots, two shells, a clean kill. Gunshot residue is found around this area so my assumptions are correct. He then escaped through the window."

She walked over to it and bent around to find anything unusual.

"This should be dusted, there could be fingerprints," she told the officer then looked out to the backyard. "I can see footprints."

"That was freaky," Hunter told her. "Have you watched too much CSI or something?"

"Lucretia… have you studied forensics before?" Melrose asked with a frown.

"No, but I have volumes of them in my room along with psychology, literature and law," Lucretia told her. "I always had very odd interests when I was young."

"No wonder L accepted you into the investigation amongst millions of others," Melrose said, looking at the other woman in a new light. "You're as brilliant as he is."

"That isn't true…" Lucretia muttered and looked away. "If I really was as brilliant as he is, we would have found Kira by now…"

"What does L look like anyway?" Hunter raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not in a position to tell you," Lucretia gave him a small smile.

"Alright, alright," Hunter huffed. "Besides, we already have the camera footage to prove the killer was Ryler. All we need is an arrest warrant then we can put him to the chair."

"You are way too enthusiastic about this," Melrose told him.

"Still thinking about my vacation," Hunter said in a singsong voice.

"I know the chief said you were a brilliant officer but can you lay down t on he eccentricities?" Melrose sighed in exasperation.

"All brilliant people are eccentric…" Lucretia chuckled. "That's what I find anyway…"

"Listen to the psychologist, Rosie," Hunter pointed. "Eccentric people are geniuses."

Melrose rolled her eyes at him. They exited the house and Lucretia looked up to her old room.

"My mother always left the balcony door open…" she muttered. "Maybe he went in through there…?"

Lucretia gasped and ran back into the house and up the stairs into her room. She slammed open the door and looked around. Her room was in a complete mess. Drawers were removed from their places, the bed was upturned, and her table was broken… Lucretia spotted something on the wall next to her and she withdrew in disgust. A dead bird hung there, nailed through the eyes to the wall.

"Shit…" she covered her mouth, about ready to gag.

She closed the door to her room and slid down against it, burying her head between her knees. She suddenly remembered something… something she had been repressing all along.

"_Hey, there, little girl," he smiled to her._

_She paused and looked at him suspiciously while keeping her distance away from him._

"_I'll show you a fancy trick, eh?" he said, showing her a pebble in his hand._

_Suddenly he threw it up into the trees and there was a loud noise of birds twittering madly. Then two carcasses fell down onto the ground._

"_Killing two birds with one stone," the man laughed_.

"Oh, what sick thoughts," Lucretia breathed.

"Lucretia, are you alright?" Melrose asked from the top of the stairs with Hunter by her side.

"Yes…" Lucretia said shakily and stood up.

"Did you find something?" Melrose asked, walking over to her.

She opened the door. She and Hunter looked around before noticing the dead bird. Hunter let out an even nastier curse and slammed the door shut.

"What the bloody hell?! _What the bloody hell_?!" he exclaimed. "That is sick! That is _so_ sick!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Melrose asked.

"It's a sick joke of his," Lucretia explained. "Killing two birds with one stone. He had a talent for that."

"You mean _actually_…" Hunter paled. "What a guy…"

Lucretia clutched her head and swayed on the spot. She slammed into the wall, gasping for breath. Melrose went over to steady her.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Don't overexert yourself."

"I'm sorry… it's just… the anxiety and the stress… it's finally taking over me," Lucretia panted.

"You should rest, here," Melrose opened the door to the guest room.

"No… not in the house, never…" Lucretia told her faintly. "Bring me back to the hotel… and get someone to get rid of the ruddy bird… It's an insult to my room."

"Yeah, will do…" Melrose said, helping her over to the stairs.

Hunter shook his head and glanced back at the door to Lucretia's room. With an inward shudder, he followed the other two downstairs.

* * *

"Why can't we find him?! Why!" Lucretia pounded her fists on the table in a frustrated rage.

It had been three months since the death of her parents and it looks like Ryler had disappeared off the face of the earth again. Nobody had seen him anywhere and nobody had even heard of him.

"I can't be locked up here, right at this moment, Ryuuzaki will be contacting him now," Lucretia grabbed a fistful of her hair. "Urgh! Why is this happening?!"

"C-Calm down, Lucretia…" Hunter said nervously. "We'll get him for sure, we have all the evidence we need."

"Evidence, yes! Proof, yes! But the criminal? No!" Lucretia exclaimed.

"Ah, damn… she's lost her mind now…" Hunter shook his head.

"I need to know what's happening in Japan! Is Ryuuzaki alright? What are they doing? What about the investigation team?"

"I think you're a tad bit obsessed with that case, dearie, relax, have a vodka," Hunter said.

"How can I relax?" Lucretia shrieked. "I have a criminal hanging over my shoulder, waiting for an opportunity to kill me and I'm cut off from my case!"

"Ah…" Hunter turned at the sound of the door clicking open.

Melrose walked in with a bunch of grocery stuff and a black file in her hands. She looked at the both of them with raised eyebrows.

"I thought I heard your dulcet tones, love," Melrose said to Lucretia. "I have news, whether it's good or bad is up to you to decide."

"Tell me," Lucretia said eagerly.

"Ryler was seen at the hill nearby your house," Melrose told her. "A neighbour observed him coming up there every night at midnight before calling the police. We'll assemble a squad to look out for him then catch him at the opportune time. We'll finally be able to get him!"

"Rosie, I've always wondered why you're always so determined on catching him," Hunter said.

"It's because the sadistic bastard killed my best friend years ago the same way he killed all his other victims," Melrose said heatedly. "It was the last thing I promised her."

"Whoa… gee, I feel so left out, everyone else in the room has been some kind of victim of Ryler," Hunter said. "I can just imagine the two of you getting all buddy-buddy and excluding me out. I feel so sad all of the sudden."

"How can you find that a bad thing?" Melrose looked at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah, and stop saying his name, it hurts my ears," Lucretia said.

"Alright, alright, sheesh…" Hunter shook his head and went to get more coffee for his poor nerves.

* * *

That night, while the other two agents were fast asleep, Lucretia sneaked out of the room. She hailed a cab outside the hotel and it drove her to her destination. As she got out of her car and looked up to the house where the murder took place, she shuddered. She made her way across the front yard, stepping over all the police tape. She then reached the threshold and fumbled around with her keys before managing to unlock the door. She swung it open and walked in. The house was eerily quiet and the shadows in the corners made it look even more alarming. She started at all the little noises. She then sat down in the armchair, the armchair her father always sat in during the winters in front of the fire. She bit her lip as tears began to form in her eyes as she remembered her parents. She didn't even spend their last Christmas with them…

There was a loud grating sound from behind and she jumped back just as a heavy metal baseball bat landed on the armchair, splintering it, exactly where her head had been seconds before. The manic cold blue eyes of her enemy bored into hers. He bared his teeth at her angrily, while panting heavily. Lucretia swallowed and reached into her coat pocket to procure a gun. She aimed it at his head, preparing to shoot. The man paused and grinned at her.

"Alright, love, you really think you can kill me?" he laughed mockingly.

"Damn right I'll kill you," she breathed, gripping the gun tightly.

"You've never held a gun in your entire life, much less know how to _use_ it," he mocked her. "Oh, don't think I don't know about you. In fact, I know everything about you, even about your little detective friend."

"You followed me to Japan?!" her eyes widened.

"Waddya expect, eh?" he said.

"Why did you kill my parents?! What have they ever done to you?!" she yelled at him.

"Ionno," he shrugged. "With the damn police hounding my back and keeping tabs on you, not to mention you being monitored by that detective…. Just thought that I'll finally be able to get my hands on you if I did kill 'em. Work, didn't?"

"You slimy bastard…" she hissed venomously.

"Tut tut, love, is that any way for a young lady to speak?" he laughed and lunged at her.

Lucretia squeezed the trigger and fired but the bullet missed him by inches. He managed to knock her onto the ground and throw the gun out of her hand. He sat on top of, leering down at her face. Lucretia started kicking and screaming in an effort to get him off her but to no avail.

"Got you exactly where I want you too, haven't I?" he grinned.

"Why you…!" she rasped and felt his hands tightened around her throat.

"Finally got you where I want!" he said, suffocating the life out of her.

"Ah! Help…!" Lucretia chocked, clawing at his hands that held her throat in an iron-like grip.

Suddenly he jerked his head upwards and his hands loosed around her neck. Lucretia stared up at him, confused as to what was happening. He clutched his chest and fell backwards onto the ground. Lucretia gasped and scrambled quickly away from him. Ryler's body convulsed violently as his hands tore away at his chest, as if trying to pry his heart out. Suddenly, with a rasping breath, he dropped back onto the ground, dead, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"A-A heart attack?" Lucretia whispered fearfully as she panted for breath. "Was it… Kira? Kira… is… my saviour?"

* * *

The car pulled up outside the hospital entrance. The moonlight shone against the windows of the car, giving it a reflective gleam. Two figures could be seen walking towards the car, one taller than the other who was hunched at the back.

"Ryuuka…" Light called. "Isn't there something I can do to convince you that I am not Kira?"

"If you aren't Kira, that won't be necessary," L replied.

"That's enough! Try to imagine what it feels like to be suspected of being a mass murderer!" Light exclaimed.

"…" L looked up in thought. "It must feel rather terrible."

"Yeah, okay, how's this?" Light asked. "Lock me up in a place with no TV or media access for a month and see what happens."

"…I guess anyone would desperately want to prove their innocence," L said. "No, we can't do something so immoral, and arresting someone who is a mere suspect is ridiculous."

"Not to mention illegal, right?" Lucretia opened the car door.

She removed her glasses and pocketed them into her white coat that she seemed to wear everywhere nowadays. L looked at her in shock.

"Lucretia…. You're back?"" L stared at her. "Everything has been done, I suppose?"

Lucretia gave him a small smile. "It has. And… this must be Yagami Light. It's nice to meet you. I am Lucretia Laurent, a psychologist that is also investigating on the Kira Case."

"A psychologist? That's interesting. You're one of the members of the team?" Light asked.

"Yes, I am, though recently I had to be called away due to personal reasons…" Lucretia told him. "I have heard a lot about you from your father. I heard you recently got into Touou, that is remarkable of you, if I am not mistaken, only the top students are admitted there."

"Yes… thank you," Light nodded.

"By the way, how is your father now?" she asked, looking up at the hospital.

"He's alright, it was only fatigue," Light told her.

"I thought so, poor man," Lucretia nodded.

"Yes, he is under quite a lot of stress," Light said.

"If my information is accurate, I will be seeing you on the team very soon?" Lucretia glanced to L then back to him with a smile fixed on her lips.

"Yes, hopefully," L agreed.

"Well, it is getting late, shall we head back now?" Lucretia asked, getting back into the car. "Oh, and it was a pleasure to see you, Light."

"The pleasure is mine," Light smiled to her. _Who exactly is she_?

"Yes, let's go," L said. "And don't worry, Light, if you are not Kira we will know soon. By the way, after watching your conversation with your father, I am beginning to think that you are not Kira. Anyways, please take care."

"Ah, one more thing," Light said as L shut the door and rolled down the window. "Even though I said that I would assist you in the investigation, I don't think I will be able to do anything before my father recovers."

"I understand," L said. "Good night."

L rolled the window back up and Watari drove them off back to their hotel room. L sat in relative silence for a while, deep in thought. Lucretia pondered on her thoughts about Light in the meanwhile. Somehow, his look scared her. When she had seen photographs of Light in the past, he looked so young, energetic and innocent. Now… there was a cold gleam in his eyes, his face was pale and his manner was so suppressed.

"So what happened in London?" L asked, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"…Kira got to him first," Lucretia told him. "Anyway, what happened in London is no longer important. Tell me everything that happened during my absence."

L nodded, even though he was fairly interested on what happened in London that made her not want to talk about in detail. In any case, L told her everything that happened while she was away and Lucretia listened carefully to his conversation with Light earlier on.

"I see…" Lucretia said. "So you are making your move…"

"Do you think Light is Kira?" L asked.

"…Yes," Lucretia said. "Everything about his manner makes me suspicious of him."

"So my instincts are right," L told her. "I will now be conducting a thorough investigation on Yagami Light."

"Kira…" Lucretia said, looking out the window. "Is he really evil?"

L looked at her curiously. Lucretia stared up at the full moon that hung in the velvety starry sky. She had just remembered something that connected Light to everything. Light _was_ on that hijacked bus with Penber. Naomi said Kira was trying to get info from the hijacking. It must be to get Raye's name. He _planned_ Raye to give him the list of agents. Then Light _must_ have been the one that killed Naomi since her 'disappearance' was exactly after her meeting him. She had told him her name. And Naomi was not the type of person to kill herself on her own accord, even L said so.

_Kira is playing God, but he is still a human. And by being a human, he had limits. He was only preserving himself by killing the agents. He was preserving himself to make the world a better place, a place without criminals. And didn't God flood the world once to purify it because there were too many criminals? He only rescued one family from meeting their doom, but what about the other sinless families? He let them die too… In a way, Kira is doing God's work._

The car stopped outside the hotel and Lucretia stepped out. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

She took in a shaky breath. "What am I thinking?"

* * *

_Lucretia is having doubts about Kira's guilt! What other thoughts are swimming in her mind? _

End of Chapter 9.


End file.
